Black Pyramid: The Paths of Time Are Vast

Black Pyramid’s long-awaited full-length is set for release on May 3rd via Totem Cat Records. The Paths of Time Are Vast is the Massachusetts band’s first new album since 2013’s Adversarial.

The new album is a fantastic stoner/doom/psych release that is equally heavy as it is ethereal. To borrow a line from the press release, the album is ‘as much an earthquake as an astral projection’.

Listening through the album is a fun and rewarding listen, mainly because Black Pyramid manages to merge all the best (or perhaps my favourite) aspects of the Stoner/Doom/psych subgenres into this release; crushing and/or groovy riffs, psychedelic sound palettes, experimental (almost progressive) songwriting approach, and great sounding production. You get the usual shades of Sabbath mixed into other influences such as Om, Earthless, Mastodon, and Sleep.

I don’t quite pick up on the album’s story during the listening, but it seems to be a wild trip, according to the band; "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."

The 3-part title track "The Paths Of Time Are Vast Part I to III" are probably the highlight of the album, but there isn’t a weak spot on the 8 tracks.

My favorite sections on the album are generally when the 3-piece lock into heavy grooves and jam out for extended periods, changing up riffs upon riffs, and head into psychedelic realms. My only criticism of the release is that the vocals don’t typically elevate the songs all that much. The vocals aren’t poor by any means, but they’re certainly now the highlight to my ears.

Totem Cat Records is a relatively small and boutique label, but everything they release is high quality. This album is certainly no exception. I’d go so far to say that this is my favorite Stoner/Doom/Psych album released this year. It's a fantastic release.

TRACKLIST:
1. Bile, Blame And Blasphemy
2. The Crypt On The Borderlands
3. Astral Suicide
4. Take Us To The Threshold
5. The Paths Of Time Are Vast, Part I
6. The Paths Of Time Are Vast, Part II
7. The Paths Of Time Are Vast, Part III
8. The Quantum Phoenix

Added: April 15th 2024
Reviewer: Chris Reid
Score:
Related Link: Band Facebook Page
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Language: english

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