Photo by Sam Carcasole
Canadian sludge/hardcore outfit PYRES will unleash their second full-length, YUN, on March 7th via Hypaethral Records. The record marks the band’s first new output in over a decade and serves as the followup to their critically lauded Year Of Sleep debut.
Formed in 2010, PYRES began as the three-piece collaboration of Andrew Wilson, Devin Lamere, and Matt Sloetjes. Driven by a shared passion for uniting the crushing tonality of sludge and doom with the ferocity of hardcore punk, the band spent their first year shaping a sound built around drop B tunings and relentless experimentation.
As Wilson’s songwriting evolved, harmonized, melodic guitar riffs increasingly became a hallmark of PYRES, prompting the addition of longtime friend and guitarist Marc Delparte. His influence helped expand the band’s dynamic range, contributing dual guitar harmonies reminiscent of Thin Lizzy while introducing progressive structures. By the time of their first Toronto show in 2011, PYRES had distilled their efforts into six powerful tracks that would form the core of their debut LP, Year Of Sleep.
Recorded with Greg Dawson at BWC Studios and mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side, Year Of Sleep was released in July 2013 to widespread acclaim. Hailed as a “near-perfect debut,” the album earned praise from Decibel, NPR, PopMatters, Terrorizer, Rock-A-Rolla, Ghost Cult Mag, and Hellbound.ca. Critics lauded its potent fusion of High On Fire’s weight, Crowbar’s crushing intensity, and the melodic progression of Mastodon and Baroness.
However, tragedy struck shortly before the album’s release. In April 2013, Wilson’s sister was lost to a murder-suicide. His father passed away quietly, precisely one year later. The band continued to perform, but the momentum behind Year Of Sleep stalled under the weight of grief, depression, and anxiety. Although songwriting persisted, the drive to produce a follow-up album was overshadowed by Wilson’s struggle to navigate trauma and loss.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic silenced live music and brought another significant blow: the departure of founding drummer and visual artist Matt Sloetjes, who relocated cities to prioritize family. With unfinished material left behind and no clear path forward, PYRES quietly slipped into dormancy.
When live music returned post-pandemic, the band unexpectedly found new life. A chance introduction brought Wilson together with drummer Aleks Hara (Sarin). A few rehearsals confirmed the chemistry, and no further auditions were needed. PYRES had found their new drummer. Reinvigorated, the band set out to excavate unfinished material from their darkest period. Much of the music had been written in the aftermath of personal tragedy, compelling the band to confront old wounds and shape a cathartic narrative from the ruins of grief.
Wilson elaborates, “These songs [on YUN] are autobiographical in nature, and I’m grateful to finally scream out these traumas and exorcise these demons through this medium that I love. I hope that some can find their own meaning or feel some catharsis through the lyrics. We raised the bar for ourselves in terms of dynamics and composition. There’s a clarity-of-intent that is conveyed in my songwriting. We’ve continued the tradition of those Maiden/Lizzy guitar harmonies, as well as expanding further outward into doom, grunge, and post rock. This record features some of our fastest and busiest material – inspired by our punk/HC roots. The songs tend towards shorter length, with an emphasis on lyrics, vocals, and narrative structure.”
In advance of the record’s release, today the band presents “Granular Flow.” Offers Wilson on the record’s lead single, “We wrote ‘Granular Flow’ almost intentionally as a single. It’s as neatly-structured as a PYRES song could be and an immediate sounding follow up to Year Of Sleep. The song suggests there’s more to be discovered on the album, without giving away all the secrets. Fans of the band know we have a few tricks at our disposal, but we wanted to deliver a first single that felt instantly familiar, as if it were saying ‘the band is back after all this time, and they’re wasting no time getting back to business.'”
Watch PYRES lyric video for “Granular Flow” HERE.
YUN was recorded, mixed, and produced once more with Greg Dawson at BWC Studios (OLDE, Sons Of Otis, Panzerfaust) over the Winter and Spring of 2024, with percussion tracked by Simon Larochette at The Sugar Shack in London, Ontario. Mastering for the album was handled, to crushing effect, by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege (Sleep, YOB, Corrosion Of Conformity). The result showcases a band transformed. PYRES’ sound has evolved, embracing a broader palette that spans melodic sludge metal, hardcore, doom, grunge, and post-rock.
PYRES’ YUN will be released digitally and on digipack CD (limited to 300 copies) as well as vinyl in the following color variants: Shattered Bone (100 copies) and Black (100 copies).
Find preorders at the Hypaethral Records webshop HERE and Bandcamp HERE.
YUN Track Listing:
- Mononeurvosa
- Some, Not All, Came Back
- A Depth Charge In A Dead Sea
- Granular Flow
- Nova Cruciatus
- Lineage
- Old Dogs
PYRES Live:
6/26-28/2025 Rhüne Mountain Doom Fest 2025 – Stoney Creek, ON [info]
PYRES:
Andrew Wilson – vocals, guitar
Devin LaMere – bass
Marc Delparte – guitar
Aleks Hara – drums
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