Author: Aleš Podbrežnik
Artist: Pyroxene
Label: Inverse Records
Release: 2017
Length: 24:44
Rating: 3.5/5
Pyroxene are a new name on the Slovenian heavy metal horizon. These Ljubljana “geological-chemical” metalheads, and chief suppliers of Helium 3, can boast a pile of live shows in a relatively short time as a band. Pyroxene are the very definition of an extremely hard-working, »self-managed« outfit, meaning they run things independently, on their own. What marked their string of gigs was that they came across as a band that keeps growing, picking up not just valuable live experience from show to show, but also more and more honing and shaping their own musical style.
So this past May we finally got their first officially released studio document. “Ep” has five tracks, four of them originals that are noticeably deviant stylistically, and the release basically gives us a look at the band’s first step: with bold ideas and the kind of variety the metal world could use, they’re laying the cornerstone on which they’ll eventually build their recognizable musical self, or define their personal musical ID card. All in all, “Ep” carries a distinct, unmistakable musical dossier, which means Pyroxene are on the right track to defining a one-of-a-kind musical identity.
The first track already surprises, as it’s built on a rhythmic key of “arabesque” that could lead toward a 9/8 time signature, but Pyroxene are not the Dave Brubeck Quartet, so there’s no fear we’d be talking about a progressive genre, jazz, or even some avant-garde-shaped musical trickery. No. Opener Fireborn is a dark, doomy, cathartic, slow-rolling track with a predatory, Black Sabbath-inspired riff, dressed up in a lovely rhythmic “arabesque” that breathes the basic appeal into the song. Fireborn could well have been the title of this release, since it tells the story of who Pyroxene are (»pyroxenes« are, incidentally, igneous rocks). Pyroxene, or “Fireborn” in other words, is the last of its kind, the one who will put this planet in order after being woken from astral hibernation, deep beneath the surface of the Earth’s crust, by the slaves of capitalism. Born in fire, then, whose awakening and wrath bring the final volcanic eruptions across the entire planet. These will cleanse the planet of the evil of the corrupting virus called humanity and bring salvation to billions of souls who are (we are) slaves to capitalism. The end is the same for everyone. Death and destruction. So yes. Apocalypse. Right now! The cover art comes along for the ride, inspired by the message of Fireborn, though the track could just as easily have been called Pyroxene. A hard-hitting tune that keeps on surprising, pulling out ideas already voiced in the past heroic deeds of the bands that make up Pyroxene’s usual compositional inspiration, without a speck of chasing fashionable trends. The band shapes those ideas into a composition of its own, about which the easiest conclusion is: “Yes, this is Pyroxene and nobody else!” And you can’t shake that feeling for the rest of the listen either.
The main composer of the four originals is guitarist Kristjan Hacin, and those four compositions show a guy with a wide genre spectrum in his listening and a solid, multilayered musical understanding, which makes “Ep” a guarantee of interesting listening across its full, just-under-25 minutes of music. Already the second track offers a stylistic swerve toward the traditional sound of heavy rock, or even rock’n’roll. A blast back to the early eighties and, say, Judas Priest’s album »Point of Entry«. That’s Bullets Fly. Great tune. With an added whiff of debauchery, though Pyroxene keep the required obscure drama theater through it all, which gives them the ultimate heavy metal stamp.
Cleansed in Fire is the narrative continuation of opener Fireborn, which means “Ep” is partly a concept record. In this song’s message, all the souls of planet Earth go through a phase of purification and union with the essence of the deity Fireborn-Pyroxene, the new interstellar messiah. The cover art shows a temple of purification through which human masses travel. Cleansed In Fire delivers another doom-laden moment, stylistically close to Fireborn, again with passages inspired by the figure and work of Black Sabbath; the song rolls slowly, with a sense of fateful doom, yet packs a pile of transitions and always dramatic build-up right to the end. Even in the well-executed “mid-eight” passage Pyroxene prove themselves skillful composers, holding on to the required compactness and red thread in an otherwise dynamic song.
Electric Funeral is a tribute to Black Sabbath and fits the look of this EP tremendously well. The band plays it their own way, so it sports a “Pyroxene-style” hairdo. The last track is Helium 3. It’s the oldest piece on the release, and it has a somewhat different sonic treatment from the rest of the record. The building blocks of the sound are more precise and less live, less greasy. That greater “precision” magnifies the contrasts between those building blocks, especially when it comes to layering multiple vocal lines. This track was recorded at Evolution studio with Simon Jovanovič, so it stands apart in the soundscape from the other tracks, which deliver more of the required rawness and live energy, plus the doomy, dark feel of the created drama theater. Helium 3 is inspired by the message of the film »Iron Sky«. The attention-grabber here is the superbly executed guitar solo in the “mid-eight” passage. Dark brooding, obscurity, occult, final destruction.
Another important factor adding variety to the compositions, and one that absolutely deserves a mention, is on this album: the vocals of Jan Tehovnik. He adapts very deftly to the messages of the songs and delivers an excellent range of vocal skills, which the young singer wields with ease. Jan can be rock’n’roll naughty, as in the verse of Bullets Fly, or build the required volume (with a dash of aggressive growl) that deepens the occult and obscure metal dossier of the compositions. The singer also cleverly slips in vocal escapades of extremely high pitches. With those he may even be earning a spot as one of the highest-screaming metal vocalists of Slovenian geographic origin right now. Jan reaches those extreme heights with an otherwise clean, melodically shaped vocal authority. A singer, then, with the desired charisma, deepening the overall feeling that with this release Pyroxene already present themselves as a musical entity of their own, especially on the Slovenian metal horizon.
“Ep” carries (as expected) some beginner’s naivety, but the band overshadows it with incredible heart, a passionate approach to delivering the material, and all-around commitment. At times the meter of the English verses could use some polish where the vocal shapes the melody, so that in the future the payoff of the developed vocal melodies and vocal power (in singing the verses) is even greater, but as said: this is the band’s fundamental first step, and we shouldn’t look for perfection, let alone demand it. “Ep” may be small in financial investment, but in courage and all the heart on display it’s a big, boldly measured step into the world of Pyroxene’s music, which sounds unlike anything that has shown up in the Slovenian heavy metal sky so far, so it’s a record worth trying and devouring for every metal fan. It carries excellent seeds for healthy sonic and stylistic evolution and a potential stylistic transition for the band down the road. And that’s essential, because with it Pyroxene stand tall in their honesty as an entity of homegrown, one-of-a-kind musical oddities. Where there’s faith and heart, there’s the right path. And Pyroxene have both in abundance.
Line-up
Jan Tehovnik – vocals
Kristjan Hacin – guitar
Andraž Kumar – guitar
Matevž Hrovat – bass
Domen Cizej – drums
Production
Pyroxene
Tracklist
1. Fireborn
2. Bullets Fly
3. Cleansed In Fire
4. Black Sabbath’s Electric Funeral (cover)
5. Helium – 3
