UMUR "Age of the Wicked" is the 3rd full-length studio album by US, New York based death metal act Pyrexia. The album was released through Unique Leader Records in January 2007. It´s been 10 years since the release of "System of the Animal" from 1997, but while the band didn´t release anything in those years other than the "Cruelty Beyond Submission" compilation in 2004, they were far from inactive as they teamed up with Trevor Peres (Obituary) in 2000 and released "The Cleansing (2001)" album under the Catastrophic monicker. It was a relatively short lived project though and band leader/guitarist Chris Basile soon opted to continue with the Pyrexia name instead. Basile is the only remaining original member of the band, and in fact he is also the only remaining member of the lineup who recorded the predecessor.

Somehow the material on "Age of the Wicked" still sound like Pyrexia though. Brutal technical death metal with a hardcore edge. The latter is as dominant an influence here as it was on "System of the Animal (1997)". An integral part of the band´s sound. While Pyrexia are probably tired of being compared to Suffocation, it is the most obvious reference, although the hardcore influences are more audible when it comes to Pyrexia. The vocals are for example not conventional growling, but more a combination of growling and deep aggressive hardcore shouting (no screaming core vocals) and many of the heavy grooves are also hardcore influenced, although they are presented in a death metal context.

The material on the 10 track, 30:04 minutes long album is relentless in its intensity and brutality. It´s like being punched in the face throughout the full playing time. There´s not a second wasted on breathers, and it´s almost impossible to sit still while being treated to one aggressive and groove laden brutal track after another. It´s sharp, it´s hard edged, and it´s furious and raw...but it´s also a bit one-dimensional. Not that the band aren´t good at incorporating tempo changes and breaks, but it´s still not an album where the tracks stand out much.

It´s not a major issue and the band have also wisely kept the playing time at half an hour, which means the album doesn´t overstay its welcome, but a little more variation and hook laden moments wouldn´t have been a negative. "Age of the Wicked" features high level musicianship and a raw and well sounding production, so while there is a small issue with the songwriting being a bit one-dimensional, it´s still a quality release deserving a 3.5 star (70%) rating.

UMUR "System of the Animal" is the 2nd full-length studio album by US, New York based death metal act Pyrexia. The album was released through Serious Entertainment in 1997. Pyrexia formed in 1990 and released their debut full-length studio album "Sermon of Mockery" in 1993. There have been several lineup changes since the debut album, and it´s actually an almost completely different lineup who recorded "System of the Animal" to the lineup who recorded "Sermon of Mockery (1993)". Only Chris Basile remains from the original lineup, and he has switched from bass to guitar.

Stylistically the brutal, technical, and groove laden (hardcore influenced) death metal style of "Sermon of Mockery (1993)" is continued on "System of the Animal". There is generally more focus on crushingly brutal grooves than on the debut album, but there are still loads of old school death metal brutality to be found here too. "System of the Animal" is a rhythmically varied release, so in addition to the brick heavy groove laden riffs and rhythms, Pyrexia also deliver mid-paced death metal parts and death grinding blast beats. The vocals are brutal and quite aggressive growling, which are occasionally complimented by a slightly higher pitched aggressive growling style.

It´s an incredibly intense release where the brutality factor is turned up to maximum. The tracks aren´t that different in style, and they aren´t initially easy to tell apart, so to my ears a bit more variation between tracks, could have made "System of the Animal" and even better release. As it is the 8 track, 23:45 minutes long album is pretty much over before it began, so in that respect the relatively one-dimensional musical style isn´t that much of an issue, but had the album been any longer, a bit more variation in the songwriting would have been necessary.

"System of the Animal" is well produced, featuring a raw, brutal, and powerful sounding production, which suits the music perfectly. So upon conclusion it´s a high quality death metal release and a great sophomore album by Pyrexia. Pyrexia aren´t often mentioned when speaking of US East coast death metal, where people typically mention Suffocation, Immolation, and Incantation, as the big three, and while all three mentioned artists fully deserve their legendary status, Pyrexia brought something else to the scene, which deserves praise too. Their focus on brutal hardcore influenced grooves (not completely unlike a contemporary act like Dying Fetus) weren´t exactly the order of the day back then, but would by the end of the 90s and early 00s become a trademark of many deathcore releases, and in that respect Pyrexia should probably be counted among the forefathers of that style, although they themselves aren´t really a deathcore act. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Unholy Requiem" is the 5th full-length studio album by US death metal act Pyrexia. The album was released through Unique Leader Records in September 2018. It´s the successor to "Feast of Iniquity" from 2013 and features several lineup changes since the predecessor as there have been changes on both the lead vocalist, the drummer, and guitarist positions in the band. As always it´s guitarist Chris Basile who has held the flag high and assembled a new lineup. Basile is also credited with recording, mixing, and mastering "Unholy Requiem".

Stylistically "Unholy Requiem" sounds unmistakably like the preceding releases by Pyrexia. It´s brutal technical death metal, but with strong hardcore leanings, which is basically the music style the band have played since their formation in the early 1990s. The focus on ultra heavy hardcore grooves was something new and different in death metal back then, but nothing out of the ordinary today. Being one of the seminal artists to use hardcore grooves in death metal doesn´t mean you are except from trying to develop your sound or to forge an unique style, especially when being around as long as Pyrexia have been, and I think the band neglect to do that here. "Unholy Requiem" doesn´t feature a very original sound and it could just as easily have been released by one of the other thousands of bands playing this style.

"Unholy Requiem" features 8 tracks and a total playing time of 25:08 minutes, so this is a short and raw release, but with music as brutal as this, a short playing time isn´t always an issue. Pyrexia are a well playing act and the material are generally well written and effective too, but it´s not exactly hook laden and catchy, but again with music as brutal as this it´s not to be expected.

"Unholy Requiem" features a decent production job (the vocals are slightly too high in the mix), but it´s not a sound which elevates the music beyond what is standard in the genre, and that can be said about most features on the album. The songwriting, the musicianship, and the sound production are all of a standard quality and little on the album reaches excellent territories, but that´s more or less the story of all the preceding releases by the band too. It´s hard edged, brutal, and technically well played and definitely entertaining while it plays, but also pretty soon forgotten after it has ended. A 3 - 3.5 star (65%) rating is warranted.

UMUR "Hatredangerandisgust" is an EP release by US, New York based death metal act Pyrexia. The EP was released through Mockery/Pathos Productions in 1995. "Hatredangerandisgust" bridges the gap between the band´s debut full-length studio album "Sermon of Mockery (1993)" and their second full-length studio album "System of the Animal (1997)".

The music on the 3 track, 11:58 minutes long EP, is brutal technical death metal, which isn´t surprising if you´re familiar with the sound on "Sermon of Mockery (1993)". All three tracks are very well played, featuring multible tempo changes, brutal and fast riffing and aggressive brutal growling. The sound production is of good quality and provides the music with the right raw and brutal sound. The Suffocation influence is still a bit too obvious in the band´s music, and it´s in the songwriting department that "Hatredangerandisgust" lacks a bit of originality to really shine.

...if you can live with that "Hatredangerandisgust" is a very convincing death metal EP by Pyrexia and fans of brutal technical death metal should have a blast with this one. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

UMUR "Feast of Iniquity" is the 4th full-length studio album by US death metal act Pyrexia. The album was released through Unique Leader Records in October 2013. Pyrexia released their debut full-length studio album "Sermon of Mockery" as far back as 1993, but they´ve had a lengthy break in activities because most of the lineup teamed up with Trevor Peres (Obituary) in 2001 to form Catastrophic. "Feast of Iniquity" is the band´s second full-length studio album since they reformed Pyrexia.

Stylistically the music on "Feast of Iniquity" pretty much continues the brutal and technically well played death metal style that Pyrexia have played since day one. There are obvious nods toward Suffocation (both drummers who participate on the album have also played with Suffocation), but Pyrexia are slightly more focused on ultra heavy breakdowns and groove. Sometimes, like in "Panzer Tank Lobotomy" and "Born of a Jackal", they even incorporate a slight contemporary "core" influence in the vein of Chimaira. The tempo is varied throughout the album with both blasting, heavy breakdowns and mid paced brutal sections.

At 29:47 minutes "Feast of Iniquity" is a relatively short album, but it packs a ton of punch and with music this brutal a longer playing time might have been a trial. While "Feast of Iniquity" is a solid brutal technical death metal album featuring a powerful sound production and some very skillful playing, the songwriting is pretty standard for the genre. I´m not coming out of the listening experience thinking that particular tracks on the album stand out or that Pyrexia have an especially personal/distinct sound. If they ever improve on that parameter, they could elevate their music to a higher level. As it is now "Feast of Iniquity" is still an enjoyable and headbanger friendly death metal release and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.