Review by Sonny for Esoteric - A Pyrrhic Existence (2019)

From the earliest days of the NWOBHM, through the 1980's thrash boom, the end of that decade's transition from thrash to death metal and into the nineties' black metal explosion, via bands like Venom, Slayer, Possessed, Morbid Angel and Darkthrone, metal had endeavoured to become more and more extreme by constantly striving to be faster and heavier (and more evil-sounding) than all that had gone before. Yet in the very early 1990's a small number of visionary metal bands, notably Switzerland's Mordor and Finland's Thergothon realised that true extremity lay in slowing things down to a snail's pace, utilising huge, crushing chords that seemed to last aeons, employing vocalists who barely registered on the human vocal scale and placing huge emphasis on repetition and a funeral-like atmosphere. One of the first funeral doom acts to form in the wake of demos from Thergothon and Mordor and to completely embrace the funeral doom aesthetic were Birmingham's Esoteric. That was back in 1992 and it is a testament to the band's quality that they still sit at the apex of the genre thirty years later.

I would have to peg Esoteric as one of my top five metal bands of all time. They are one of those metal acts who just refuse to compromise. When I say this, I don't mean to say that their sound hasn't evolved, but rather that, despite fundamentally playing funeral doom for the entirety of their thirty year career, unlike other long- established bands who started out playing this most mournful of metal genres, they haven't forsaken the style completely by moving in an entirely different direction. Over recent years they have certainly incorporated elements of post-metal into their sound and they have always been a more than a mere funeral doom band, but they are still unashamedly committed to the genre and their commitment to it has made them, arguably (well, for me, inarguably), the premier exponents of the style.

Having released only seven full-lengths in their thirty years, aptly for a funeral doom act, they are not a band to be hurried and A Pyrrhic Existence was their first new release in eight years, as Greg Chandler had been concentrating on his avant-garde black metal project, Lychgate, so anticipation for the album was high. Of course, Esoteric didn't disappoint and if they never release another album then A Pyrrhic Existence will stand as a fitting swansong for the UK's best extreme doom metal act.

A Pyrrhic Existence, in common with several of the band's previous full-lengths, is a long album, although at 98 minutes it's about an hour shorter than your average Marvel Universe movie and is a million times more rewarding (although it does have less throw-away one-liners and spandex, that much is true)! It is an album that is heavily predicated on atmosphere. To this end, Esoteric also incorporate elements of post-metal into their sound that fans of Cult of Luna or Neurosis may instantly feel at home with and that, along with the lightness and airiness of the lead guitar work, when combined with the immense, seismic chords and Greg Chandler's harrowing vocals, presents a huge contrast of light and dark that sits at the heart of what A Pyrrhic Existence is about. Opening track, Descent, is one of my favourite metal tracks of all-time and delivers an unrivalled atmosphere to match it's title, as it genuinely feels in places as if the listener is falling earthward as if from a great height, which kind of epitomises the light/heavy dichotomy into a truly compelling atmosphere. I have rarely felt so utterly consumed by a track as I do every time I listen to this modern metal classic, a track that is genuinely breathtaking (almost literally, not merely metaphorically).

Greg Chandler's vocals really are something to behold. He alternates between a deep growling that sounds like boulders splitting under the pressure from some huge subterranean force and a ragged shriek born of black metal, the overall effect of which sounds like some sort of primal demon that has been possessed by another, even more deranged, demon. For my money Chandler is one of the very finest extreme metal vocalists and for him to still be able to produce such an extreme vocal performance after so long in the game is impressive. This is also a ridiculously heavy album, even though it has those contrasting lighter sections, it is still crushing when it needs to be. There are occasional daliiances with chugging death doom riffs and in the middle of the track Culmination they employ a riff that sounds like they took the intro to Am I Evil?, brutalised it, then supercharged it and made it their own. Drums have (often justifiably) gained a reputation of monotony in funeral doom, but the performance of drummer Joe Fletcher is powerful and precise and is another element that elevates A Pyrrhic Existence above it's peers.

For me this is the epitome of modern extreme metal, particularly from the viewpoint of an old doomhead, but as with any extreme form of metal, it doesn't provide an instant high and it certainly isn't for everyone, but it is one of those sublime albums in which it is possible to lose oneself and especially using headphones it is like I imagine it would be to be immersed in a sensory deprivation chamber. For those open to it's charms, this is likely to be a thoroughly rewarding experience if you have the patience.