Although it’s been kicking around for awhile now, Black Pyramid’s second full-length isn’t slated for an official release until the end of January, but I didn’t even think there was going to be a II given some of the band’s cryptic postings about their demise. Truth be told, I thought they were done, and I still don’t know what the real story is, but lo and behold the band lives, and it just turns out that singer/guitarist Andy Beresky is out, having been replaced by Darryl Shepard of Milligram, Hackman, and Blackwolfgoat fame. However, II‘s hollow steamroller is driven by the original line-up, so consider this your final chance to hear Beresky lead Black Pyramid’s doom machine right into the Earth’s crust and dust. Which is exactly what he does, as Black Pyramid’s signature, banner-flying, fuzzy charge storms the gates of Hades heads down and helmets first. Black Pyramid have always found a home in the fire, and II is certainly no exception; in fact, they appropriate it so damn well that they’ve grown confident enough to spread their blazing wings and fly uncommon patterns, especially on the folksy “Tanelorn” and the album’s two epics, “Dreams of the Dead” and “Into the Dawn.” While “Endless Agony,” “Mercy’s Bane,” “Night Queen,” “Sons of Chaos,” and “The Hidden Kingdom” deliver the familiar Sleep-on-speed thunder we’ve come to expect from Black Pyramid, the band does add a bunch of energized riffs, nasty solos, and tempered breakdowns into the mix, making this effort ambitious and quite successful. There sure is a shit ton of heavy coming out of Massachusetts these days, and only time will tell if Black Pyramid will continue to play a giant part in that with Shepard at the helm (there’s no reason to think they won’t). And what of Beresky? He’s too good to stay down for long, you can count on that.
Ancient VVisdom A Godlike Inferno
Shinebox Recordings
Yes, that’s VVisdom, with two V’s instead of a W, perhaps to denote some sort of kvlt affinity, and why not when you’re a band whose first recorded offering is a split with Charles Manson and your dark, acoustic doom is black metal played out as the Devil’s blues? Driven by a forbidden force of steel-stringed conviction and Antichrist alchemy, the Austin band’s debut, A Godlike Inferno, is more than a poor cover, fancy spelling, and men in costumed ceremony — it’s eight tracks of pagan chamber music, a melodic and catchy gush of neo-folk played by dudes in dirty denim vests. And nevermind that Ancient VVisdom contains members of the louder groups Iron Age and Integrity because this is simple, stripped down, fire-licking rock n’ soul, like Agalloch at a biker camp-out or Days of the New in corpse paint, which is actually way better than it sounds.
Check out two videos for “The Opposition” and “VVorld of Flesh” from A Godlike Inferno!
October’s Beard of the Month is a familiar one, belonging to Black Tusk bassist Jonathon Athon, who also received some end-of-the-year kudos in 2010 for his fire-branded, foot-and-a-half facial fashion statement. Athon’s beard is grade A ginger greatness, and nearly a year later it still boasts an unbridled barbarianism that’d make Erik the Red jealous if he were alive today. You know that iconic image of Superman standing on top of a skyscraper, his cape blowing in the wind a tell-tale sign of his heroic awesomeness? That’s how I like to think of Athon, only instead of a skyscraper it’s a mountain and instead of a cape it’s his beard.
And a worthy nod to the hairy fellows in The Shrine, seen here posing with an elder beard named Chief. I don’t know who Chief is or what his story might be, but you can bet it’s a good one judging by his beard. And so The Shrine, taking their beard, beer, and cigarette cue from Chief, are well on their way to becoming a proud bunch of drunk Gandalfs too!
Black Pyramid
Ancient VVisdom
