The Funeral Pyre - The Nature Of Betrayal (Prosthetic Records/Creator-Destructor Records) - Back
Hailing from the dark depths of La Habra California is the blackened, melodic death metal band The Funeral Pyre. You may not expect this sound from a band from the U.S., much less California, but this effort put forth entitled “The Nature of Betrayal” you will agree they are amongst the ranks of their European brethren. This is the quintet’s second album.

“The Nature of Betrayal” is their follow-up to their 2004 release “Immersed by the Flames of Mankind.” This new disc was actually release in 2006 by Creator Destructor Records but was re-released on Prosthetic Records earlier this year.

Some parts of the composition are phenomenal. It’s like the melodic death and blackened parts were taken out of pages of Dark Tranquillity, Dissection, At The Gates, and In Flames books. I hope I have your attention now.

These eight tunes are dark and extreme yet melodic and enchanting. A nice vibrant mix for forty-three minutes plus with ripping guitars, blasting drums, and blackened screams… how could you go wrong? The atmosphere from the keys is just enough to set a mood in each track. Leads can be comparable to Dissection.

The album’s artwork origins can be traced to French artist, engraver, illustator Gustave Doré. It was assembled at Ben West Design, and what a nice job they did. Speaking of which, “The Nature of Betrayal” was recorded by Rollie Ulug at Ulug Studios in Costa Mesa, California. Yep, you guessed it, it sounds great.

The Funeral Pyre are really one of the best blackened death bands in America these days. So what are you waiting for? The Funeral Pyre has been lit!

Rating: 87

Reviewed By: Jeffrey D. Adkins