Long Island’s Pyrexia return with their 5th long player and with a host of new cast members how can CEO, Owner, Manager, Founding member, guitarist, Chris Basile keep it together, you ask? Well the bastid does and I’ve known Mr. Basile for quite a long time, but he is a riff machine. Let’s bring in some members from Tomorrow’s Victim, Danny Trapani on second guitar, their vocalist, Jim Beach on vocals and add Alex Cohen on drums whose in more bands than I change underwear in a week. Shaun Kennedy, from my true love, Internal Bleeding, rounds crap out on bass.

So without getting all moist and teary eyed-about how I feel about Pyrexia, since with me fronting Internal Bleeding on the recent Bloodletting tour and Pyrexia also on the tour, while some different live members, surfaced, I reconnected with Basile and co after all these years and so here goes my review. It’s objective and hell I’ve been around long enough to have seen them when they were a mere demo band, ripping the club, Sparks apart on Long Island, back in ’91/’92. Ultimately it’s about the music and vocals and how memorable are the songs. Right? First thing to strike a dagger through your eye is the old school classic Pyrexia logo adorns the album, something that has not been seen their debut 1993 album, Sermon of Mockery. So it’s like-“Wooa Momma is bringing home the bacon”.

The title track opens with a scorching guitar riff that punishes with its memorability and once the blast comes forth, I know why I enjoy Jim’s vocals so much. He reminds me so much of Mike DiSalvo who was the singer for Infestation and Cryptopsy. Therefore Jim is not guttural, but has more of a tough-guy deep powerful bark. It’s berating and I think he’s yelling at me the entire time during this brief 8 song 26 minute album. The title track is ruthless, but then ends quite abruptly and then there is a delay of several seconds before the punishing “Angels of Gomorrah” (killer video, btw), comes scorching through. I really enjoy the Slayeresque guitar solos towards the end of this song.

“Moment of Violence” is a great song with a power groove and some ruthless vocals from Beach. Some great bass guitar work on this groove as well. Comes in quite audible and adds a great underbelly to the song. But my pick is definitely, and I was so happy when Pyrexia played this live-“Path of Disdain”. The song has a monster opening riff with the drum beat and Beach’s well-placed vocals makes this a very visceral and powerful song. The stop n go beginning groove is just so killer. Honestly I start swinging when I hear this and even did a few windmills on tour when they did this live. Honestly you’re going to want to uproot trees, toss cars and in the process lay a few magillicutty’s to people’s gullivers along the way, just to keep them in line. The song picks up pace and then the groove, stop n go part comes in with the fast double bass towards the end and if you have not leveled city blocks after listening to this track then you’re half dead and need to be fully dead.

The mastering is the only thing to ding. Unsure of what happened, but like I said some songs end quick-like it’s cut off and then quite a delay before the next track follows. The album cover is excellent which is an updated, slicker homage to the Sermon of Mockery album cover. Very colorful on this one. Booklet layout, cd and tray cards are all top shelf. Lyrics also included in the booklet, displayed in a very cool font. The production is good and actually organic-which I thoroughly appreciate. Unholy Requiem is a damn fine brutal American death metal album which has many memorable parts which make me go back to it again and again.

I’m happy to see Chris Basile still slinging it after all these years and now it’s time for you, the reader to step up. Go to Indiemerch and order the Pyrexia package deals and support one of the longest running death metal acts today, who are still putting out quality music. If Santa or Krampus fails to bring you the cd this holiday season send the bastards my way for a double decker sinkhole slampit gorilla magillicutty slobberknocker from yours truly, ‘cause this is one of the best death metal releases all year. And in the immortal words of Mike Daruckie-if you don’t have Unholy Requiem in your collection soon-”I’ll come getcha”.

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