Pÿlon-The Harrowing of Hell

Roxx Records
2013

"The Harrowing of Hell", Pÿlon's 5th full length release, was originally issued in late 2012 as a limited edition LP. I mention that upfront as I'd really love to hear this release on vinyl. Pÿlon, who hail from Switzerland and were formed back in 2002, are a Christian act that have a somewhat fuzzed-over, stoner take on doom metal that must sound nearly epic on vinyl. Their sound is throw-back in nature and would, I naturally assume, only be enhanced by smooth sound that vinyl gives off. The band, who almost bridge the gap between Black Sabbath and Trouble (only with a wee bit of acid-wash applied), have released 2 EP’s and 4 full-length albums already but this new re-release is the first to be issued on a real record label. Still, considering that this one was originally independently released, the production is nearly perfect for this kind of doom metal. While a lot of people might look at the combination of doom metal and Christianity and give pause I'll state two facts up front. First, yes they are Christian and the lyrics are clearly Christian in nature. Second though is this: the music, without the lyrics, could easily slip in unnoticed into any doom fanatics collection and be truly appreciated. So yes, Pÿlon are Christian, but no, if you ask me for my opinion, it doesn't make a lick of difference. This is some sweet, turn the lights down really low and zone out, doom metal period. OK, now that we have that all worked out let's move on to other album-related tidbits. Even though it is getting issued on CD by Roxx Records, "The Harrowing of Hell" is still a limited release. Well, there's actually 2 versions of this release so let's see if I can get this straight. First off there is the standard re-release version that features 2 new tracks added on. Those are "Golden Voice" and "Lines" and, if you didn't know better, you'd swear that this was the way the album was originally going to be released. Each and every one of these tracks flows perfectly into the next. While their own music is splendid, especially if you like slowed down doom with stoner element, it's Pÿlon's take on "Paranoid" that I found really interesting. Any band that can out-doom Black Sabbath is cool in my book. These guys slow down "Paranoid" to a crawling pace complete with flute! It's given an almost dread-inducing vibe and man, yeah it really works.Oh, seems as if I've gotten side-tracked. So, yes there will be 2 versions of this album released. The first one, which I've covered already, features 9 tracks and will be limited to 500 copies. A 2 CD version will also be issued though that is limited to just 100 copies. The 2 CD version features a collection of tracks from the band's early career. Here's the scope. You see prior to this release the band issued 3 albums that formed part of a trilogy. It began with the 2006 album "The Eternal Wedding Band" and concluded with their 2011 album, "Armoury Of God". Reportedly the 2nd and 3rd part of that trilogy are becoming hard to find so this limited-edition 2 CD set will contain a collection of tracks from the Trilogy. As an added bonus the 2 CD version will also included a 2013 remixed version of "Falling into the Sun". This track was originally released on the band's 2006 album, "Th' Eternal Wedding Band". At only 100 copies it's sure to sell out. I've provided a link below where you can pre-order either version. Pÿlon is a band that I was, unfortunately, not familiar with until this promo popped into my inbox. Now though I'm highly considering grabbing that 2 CD version for myself. That just goes to show that no matter how vast a person's collection is or how much they think they know about metal there are always new acts to discover like this. That's a big part of why I love writing for Heavy Metal time Machine. I'm always discovering new and exciting metal bands and I get to share them with all of you!



http://roxxproductions.storenvy.com/collections/1982-preorders