Petrychor- Effigies and Epitaphs/Dryad EP

“One-man black metal band” is sort of a loaded term at this point in musical history.  The term conjures images of yet another individual holed up in an apartment crafting misanthropic lo fi compositions, and unless you’re Leviathan or Xasthur, it’s hard to get away with. Californian one-man band Petrychor is changing the game for one-man black metal, and perhaps even black metal itself. The band has released one EP called Dryad, and one full length, Effigies and Epitaphs. Review, links and song samples after the jump.

The material on the Dryad EP is already incredibly well developed. The title track starts out with acoustic guitar and the trickle of a light rain hitting the ground. Out of nowhere comes an impossibly fast blast beat and lush swirling guitars. The guitars are melodic and layered to create a tone more akin to shoegaze than black metal. The drums are clearly programmed, but this doesn’t detract from the song in any way. Keyboard lines rise above the guitars to reinforce melody. The vocals are scathing, but are distant and reverberated almost like a whisper. The song takes a detour back into acoustic guitar before returning to full-bore intensity, and then ends with an acoustic rendition of the main melody of the song.
Dryad (I Make My Home)

Sole member Tad Piecka is a master of the guitar. Both Dryad and Effigies and Epitaphs boast complicated finger-picked acoustic guitar, shredding sweep solos and long passages of sustained tremolo picking. His technical ability gets close to being over indulgent but never boring. While Petrychor is rooted in rooted in black metal, Piecka isn’t afraid to let other influences come through. Classical guitar, folk, ambient, post rock, shoegaze and even a little bit of industrial all make an appearance throughout Effigies. This album is ambitious and well executed. Piecka is completely devoted to his art and concept. He even created an ambient companion album intended to be played directly after Effigies under the name Carbonscape.

In Remembrance

Petrychor fit in nicely within the realm of bold, experimental black metal from the West Coast alongside bands like Fell Voices, Ash Borer, Deafheaven (whose guitar player Kerry showed me Petrychor), Lake Of Blood, Leech and Wolves In The Throne Room. This material has been one of my most exciting musical discoveries of the year. If you enjoy any of the above mentioned bands, give Petrychor a listen.

Read what Tad Piecka has to say about each release:

In an increasingly faceless and globalized culture, it is of the utmost importance that we document the emotions and attitudes of the dissenter whose goals and practices are not condoned or made possible by large society. This is music for meditation, for frustration and anger, for beauty, and above all for communication. Petrychor seeks to expand on and enhance those focuses typically associated with black metal by staying open to outside influences, especially modern acoustic music, the gothic/neofolk scene, and the thickness and visceral catharsis present in the best post-rock.

The Dryad EP is a demo of a larger project exploring periods of voluntary isolation for the purpose of self-discovery and inspiration leading to insightful discourse, musical or otherwise. Expect that the expanded full length will deliver more eclectic instrumentation, a strong rhythmic acoustic presence, and the free tonality of modern orchestral experimentation when appropriate.

Effigies and Epitaphs is the first full-length album from Petrychor. Crafted as one piece in multiple movements, the album sums up the multi-genre development of the project over a six month period. Ethereal vocals and various folk musics give way to windy guitars, meditative tonal noise and tribal percussion.

Cataclysmic catharsis in remembrance of the scorched earth.

Both the EP and the full length are available through the Petrychor bandcamp page for the “name your price” module. A two cd set is available for purchase from Khrysanthoney. The ambient companion piece is available from the Carbonscape bandcamp.