Band: Pile Of Priests
Album: Pile Of Priests
Label: Extreme Metal Music
Genre: Progressive Death
Release Date: May 22nd, 2020
Denver's Pile Of Priests have been honing their craft of anti-organized religious themed death metal for over a decade now, and their upcoming self-title sophomore effort is the sum of all their parts. A concept album at it's core with the musicianship to back it up, I believe that any fan of metal will enjoy this record. And that album cover art? Phenomenal.
The band shares their expected reaction of the album: “We believe fans will be surprised by certain elements of this record but ultimately very satisfied. There is something for everyone in this one; powerhouse vocals, sinister riffing, silky solos, harmonies to make your hair stand up, and some beautiful melodic passages.”
The record begins with a gorgeous piano track which fades away into track two, "The Aversion." This song starts with some great riffs that help set the mood for what is a truly wicked album. The band's vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Evan Salvador's style of growls is heavy and low, but still clean enough you can make out what he's saying without needing a lyric booklet.
Track three, "Death Of The Paragon," begins with some spoken story telling. After about a minute in the tempo kicks up with some furious blast beats courtesy of skins master Evan Knight. The song has some great variation between riffs and a very nice euphonic movement. Going forward, "Exile Unto Divination" keeps up the momentum with substantial energy. The breakdown riff towards the latter part of this song is chill inducing, and I had to repeat it several times before I'd had enough of it.
"Conjunction Of Souls" sees the appearance of guest vocalist Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires) slaying on the extreme vocal spectrum. If you've seen her covers before, you'll know she can handle the job extremely well. Track six, "The Threshold," acts as a bridge between "Conjunction Of Souls" and "Deus Delenda Est."
Track eight, "Bloodstained Citadel," is by and far the thrashiest song on the record. With lyrics like, "I force my hands upon your neck | In vengeful expulsion | Thrust onto the altar’s crest," it's also the most violently charged.
Closing song "The Restitution" sees the return of Adrienne with a more classical tint to her vocal approach. "Listen closely, my time is short," she croons as the instrumentation swells around her to a momentous breaking point with her screaming her final words of that verse. It's enough to send chills straight down your fucking spine. After the sonic waves break, we're back at it with Salvador's consistently exceptional vocal work. Riffs proliferate throughout the track, with notable drum fills and collectively great orchestration of the melodic passages.
I'm giving Pile Of Priests a 9/10
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