New Jersey outfit Pariiah has dialed back to a trio of vocals/guitar/drums—plus theremin/electronics!? Their latest effort is a six-song, 20-minute EP that's stylistically similar to 2020's Swallowed by Fog, which is to say that they're the type of band that could've easily done a split with Corrupted or Noothgrush had they been around during the late-'90s. Crusty metal that combines dense, doom-tinged Celtic Frost/Saint Vitus vibes with more of a shouted hardcore type of vocal approach, which carries over into some of the occasionally faster-paced facets of the songwriting as well. The theremin/electronics textures are mainly swirling undercurrents that thicken up the atmosphere a bit. On paper, it seems like that stuff could be annoying, but I don't find 'em disruptive at all.
The LP is limited to 125 copies on no-frills black vinyl with a full-color sleeve—I really dig the cover art—and an 8.5" × 14" black-and-white insert with lyrics, credits, and a couple of band photos. (Plus a sticker!) The lyrics are basically apocalyptic metal as if written by Discharge circa 1982:
Caught inside
Suffering in darkness
Slow demise
Onward
We march - lockstep in oblivion
Death tunnel
Another enjoyable release. Pariiah's take is just askew enough to be putting their own spin on the foundation of this style, loaded up with high-quality riffs and effective songwriting that should please the majority of fans of this niche. The insert indicates that former band members contributed to some of the writing, so it'll be interesting to see how the project continues to shift and evolve moving forward...
Get It
- Handstand Records (LP)
- Bandcamp (LP, mp3)
- Spotify (stream)
- Apple Music (stream)
