Black Pyramid - The Paths of Time Are Vast

[Dylan Thomas]

Black Pyramid and Totem Cat Records are beyond excited to announce the impending release of "The Paths of Time Are Vast", the first new Black Pyramid album to emerge in more than a decade.  Evoking the molten, sludgy tones and the immersive atmosphere of their debut album, the band greatly expands upon what's worked wonders in the past, then seeks the transcendent path, pushing each element of their alchemistic sound to its unparalleled cosmic conclusion.

Slated for an early 2024 release, "The Paths of Time Are Vast" features Andy Beresky on guitar and vocals, Eric Beaudry on bass, and Andy Kivela on drums.  This lineup of the band is now the longest running incarnation, actively gigging and touring since 2018, all the while honing their collective songcraft and solidifying their onstage chemistry.   Working with Justin Pizzoferratu (Dinosaur Jr, Witch, Elder) at Sonelab, the band sought to capture the same visceral magic and sonic wizardry of their live performances onto tape, and then embellish in the psychedelic decadence of studio experimentation. The resulting production is equally immense and ethereal, massive and otherworldly, elemental and insubstantial, as much an earthquake as an astral projection. Each song embodies the power trio's raw energy, atavistic power and impassioned performances, juxtaposing elaborate arrangements with fiery free form improvisation.

Although past Black Pyramid albums were conceived as collections of stories told through individual songs, this marks the first time that the band has composed an album which tells a single solitary story.  Utilizing both musical themes and lyrical imagery, "The Paths of Time Are Vast" relates an epic tale of loss and redemption, death and rebirth, fire and frost.  This album is your golden ticket to voyage beyond the realms of birth and dead, to take the journey through the many doors of radiant reality and dark dimension, to tread the celestial pathways carved in the carcasses of the stars, and to finally taste the vastness of time and space.

[sleestak]

Cool!   No exclusive SRL teaser song?

[Dylan Thomas]

Cool!   No exclusive SRL teaser song?

You know, I actually thought about this and would love to do it.....and I don't want to piss of the label.


I mean, fuck it.  If anyone wants a teaser song, private message me ;-)

[sleestak]

I was just fucking around man.  I'm going to buy it based on the description alone.

[Dylan Thomas]

Right on!  Appreciate that!  And bear in mind, we are kind of chomping at the bit for folks to hear this....it's been done and mastered almost a year now.

[Dylan Thomas]

https://doomedandstoned.com/?fbclid=IwAR3JPi7PA5zWLlwkWJ5IejjgblRTBELxkAHcIV_w5gBomb4L_3s-prNtLnM

One of the albums doom metal fans can legit look forward to in coming months is the return effort from Massachusetts legends BLACK PYRAMID, one of the most visionary, commanding, and influential bands of the first two decades of the 21st century.

That may sound like some heavy lauding, and it is, but the band continues to live up to their reputation in their first new album since 2013's Adversarial.

Today, Doomed & Stoned brings you the world premiere of the first single "Bile, Blame, and Blasphemy" from the upcoming saga, 'The Paths of Time Are Vast' (2024).

The song begins with gentle electrified picking of a motif that's immediately accessible, met by warm bass tones and tapping cymbals. After introducing us to the main theme, it's developed with the full power of the band – complete with swaying, downtuned riffs, Sabbathian trills, an unrelenting rhythm section, and the heroic vocal attack of Andy Beresky.

The chorus brings me back to the doom classic "Mirror Messiah" from the band's first album, 'Black Pyramid' (2009), which was (and continues to be) a hallmark of the genre. I love the sound of rolling chords during the breakdown and the solo is replete with depth and emotion. There are long stretches of instrumental work that simply buoy the imagination.

"Bile, Blame, and Blasphemy" introduces us to a narrative that runs throughout these 8 tracks, giving us lyrical clues as the record progresses. It is indeed "an epic tale of loss and redemption, death and rebirth, fire and frost."

Black Pyramid's The Paths of Time Are Vast is nothing short of sheer conviction from the band, giving the evolving medium of metal a much needed shot in the arm as the year progresses. It digs deep into the craw and you may find yourself thinking about it even when it's not rumbling the stereo speakers. Album of the Year contender for damned sure.

Look for Totem Cat Records to release Black Pyramid's fourth full-length on May 3rd in vinyl, CD, and digital formats, with pre-orders beginning soon. Stick it on a playlist with High on Fire, Elder, Stoned Jesus, and Aleph Null.