Review by Felix on May 6, 2025.

Hybrid black thrash violence with vocals which border on death metal growling, this is what Denouncement Pyre practise. After a handful of releases between 2004 and 2008, “World Cremation” marked their first full-length. It hit the stores in 2010 and now, fifteen years later, it still sounds fresh. I am not speaking about a masterpiece or an undisputable classic, but a more than solid kick in the teeth.

What is missing for a real killer album? Not much, but some hymnal, triumphant, or otherwise catchy elements would have been a good idea in order to give the listener some moments of orientation. Or maybe just one song in a dragging tempo without the machine gun fire of the drums, which accompanies me more or less the entire work. No doubt, the songs are not progressive or exorbitantly interwoven, but the album as a whole is not easily accessible. This does not mean that the drilling, slicing, and harsh riffs are interchangeable. Most of them are pretty cool, sharp-edged, and somehow dangerous. But they lack five or ten percent of individuality. One gets eight good songs, yet none of them stand out. So, it takes some time to understand all the details of the material.

However, all these minor deficiencies cannot prevent that “World Cremation” shows a powerful band that has a talent for the creation of cruel and quite devastating pieces. Denouncement Pyre makes no secret of their origin. One finds some elements in their songs, we know well from bands such as Deströyer 666 or Assaulter, in particular the “Australian” ferocity as well as the lack of compassion. Not to mention the controlled, cold-blooded hatred, which seems to be a special trait from Down Under. While the band cuts its way through the bushes, the feeling of absolute infamy and perfidious contempt for “the others”, whoever they may be, intensifies. Expressive song titles like “Coven of Diabolical Bloodlust” or “A Banner Drenched in Blood” contribute to the strong aroma of the album, too. The same can be said about professional production. It is not overly dirty, but it captures the malignancy of the material very well. Moreover, it shows a good balance between drums, guitars, and voice.

Perhaps the weakness of “World Cremation” is its strength at the same time. When you have eight tracks on the same quality level, you find no highlight, but no downer as well. Every hellish second of the more than 36 minutes is worth listening to. It’s not only the riffs, not only the leads, not only breaks – the whirlwind solos are also very well done. Usually, I do not even have to wear my Ramones shirt in order to be pretty suspicious when it comes to solo excursions of sometimes narcissistic guitarists. Here, they spread an extra dose of impulsive energy, for example, at the end of the aforementioned “A Banner Drenched in Blood”. After this great number, the opulent closer completes the picture and proves that Denouncement Pyre can rely on a rebellious and unbreakable mindset from the beginning to the end. Every new break lets the listener stare into a new, infinitely deep abyss. So beware, the “Black Womb of Magdalene” is only the first gorge.

Rating: 8.4 out of 10