PYROKINESIS: BLACKOUT SINGLE REVIEW

Gold Coast Metalcore band Pyrokinesis have released their first track of the year and second single from the upcoming EP 'Sulfur,'"Blackout", following the November drop of "Holy Water" (which you can read the breakdown here, and our review of their performance supporting with Twisted Lullaby here.) "With every passing news cycle, every boredom

fuelled foray into social media, or any walk through our bloated and crumbling cities we see it: things are going downhill, fast. The ever more interconnected world we inhabit packages the horrors of the day into easily consumed chunks, and our minds numb to tragedy, as we try to adapt and brace for the worst, the new normal. Blackout positions the listener at the inevitable end of all this chaos, when bending gives way to breaking, “when the lights shut down, what will you become?” We ask this of ourselves, and we question the intentions of others. As the world falls around us, how must we brave its cruelties?" says Pyrokinesis when asked about the track.

Blackout marks the entrance of a new sound for Pyrokinesis, with notable nu-metal influences in the instrumentals and vocals. Seeing Pyrokinesis' ever evolving sound in real time is such an interesting experience. Throughout Blackout you will be treated to a gritty shift to the vocal sound you will be used to, which draws you into the idea of despair, outrage and the sense of everything being out of your control with no way to fix or change the problems. Nearing the end of the track it feels like you are being shown the path you will be forced to take in the future and it is coming to terms with the new version of yourself. The feeling is intensely

heavy and dynamic.

On the instrumental front, it was overwhelmingly chaotic the first time I listened to Blackout, which is inherently the point of the song. After several more listens the picture was clearer and Pyrokinesis have collectively achieved an excellent result. You will be pushed and pulled in so many directions, and spiral into the depths of yourself while you listen to this track as the guitars yank you towards the climax. The drums in Blackout, perhaps unintentionally, I am not sure, sound like gun fire at the beginning, drawing you into the theme even further. It is an eloquent touch that honestly had me sitting with my own thoughts for some time after finishing my notes portion of

this review. Holy Water and Blackout have set a new bar for Pyrokinesis and I am excited to hear the rest of Sulfur. The overall theme of Blackout hits with the same intensity as 'The Seed' by Aurora, which is a social commentary on what are you going to do when the earth is ruined beyond the point of repair and you are left with nothing by your pile of money, and just like The Seed, Blackout is an important piece of modern music

I want to add a quick note about the film clip for Blackout, and I recommend you watch it yourself. The video holds powerfully beautiful and poignant imagery of weighing the heart against money, war and environmental ruin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUy-c_gsVyI

You can find Pyrokinesis on: Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube, Facebook and Instagram

For Fans Of: Polaris, Make Them Suffer, In Hearts Wake and A Day to Remember

9.5/10