Review by Alex Grindor on October 29, 2024.

After popping into my radar with their jarring sophomore release The Mother Of Virtues, Pyrrhon is a band that I follow with bated breath. Every release since has been an absolute joy to listen to and on September 6th, 2024, with pretty much zero warning, they dropped their contender for album of the year with Exhaust, their shortest album to date with a more compact, yet still blistering and tumultuous approach.

Exhaust wastes no time in its presentation, plunging the listener straight into their formula of audial assault that has been distilled and perfected by this point in their career. Atonal riffs and melodies, supported by caustic bass patterns and lunatic drum bashing, toppled with Pyrrhon's trademark vocals that oscillate between furious shouting, fiendish growls, and defeated recitation. What this album offers however is a somewhat more approachable experience than previous efforts. It features 10 tracks with almost none of them exceeding the 4-minute mark, the longest being barely over 5, a sharp contrast with many of their previous albums that had songs that stretched over 8-11 minutes. This results in a more tight, compact album that is as effective as previous ones, losing not even a pinch of effectiveness and containing a variety of twists and turns at every turn, from twisted doom-like sections to somewhat spoken passages to more regular rhythms that deteriorate in a cacophonous crescendo. Production-wise, everything is just in its right place. The formula has already been established and it has just been perfected since, and even in its clarity it is a chore to even try to discern what is it that the guitars are playing. There is pretty much nothing else to say in this regard, it's really well done.

The feral beast that once lashed out at everything in its sight leaving a messy trail has evolved into an apex predator; quick, efficient, but still fiendish. That would be the analogy I'd use to describe Pyrrhon's evolution up to this, their latest album. They managed to hone their work, make it tighter, but it doesn't make it less jarring or threatening. To listen to Exhaust is to subject to its namesake, but it is worth every fucking second of it.

Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Review by Luka on May 3, 2001.

I can’t believe these grandpas are still making music! It’s been, what, 30 years since "Rocka Rolla"? Judas Priest have become true metal legends and gone through so many sound changes, and the weirdest thing of all is that they’re heavier now than ever before! They perfectly fit in with the new underground scene: In Flames, Nevermore etc. What model musicians to fucking backstabbers like Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax, they need Judas Priest-their fathers to whack them over the head and set them straight.

Although a valiant attempt, "Jugulator" doesn’t even come close to the utter perfection of Painkiller. It’s got the heaviness, the screaming vocals and the speed but there are way too many weak points.
First off, each song is written in the exact same way, first a cheesy one to two minute intro, then the riffs start and from there on it’s the normal song structure. Verse, chorus, verse, chorus, solo, verse, chorus. The lack of creativity gets very annoying after about the 8th song. The quality of most riffs is pretty poor as well. Just why the hell -why- I can’t figure out, it’s been seven years since their last album!

And second, this album has THE cheesiest lyrics I’ve ever read in my life! And the new dude, in his attempt to sound serious, sings them even funnier! Just listen to this with about three seconds between each phrase, lyrics to "Decapitate": "Your head, you will lose it. Severed, when executed. You always thought, you’d never get caught, Decapitate, sealing your fate" and so on. Pure hilarity.
The first and second song have the best riffs after the intro, and "Dead Meat" and "Bullet Train" are definitely the best songs on the album. "Dead Meat" has so much energy for a band of 50 year-olds, it’s just amazing. And "Bullet Train" has one of the best solos I’ve heard in a long time.

They’re not quite starting to lose it, not just yet anyway, but I fear the day is fast approaching when these legendary metal souls will put down their instruments once and for all.

Bottom Line: For band with 30 years’ experience and seven years preparation, this album has disappointed me beyond belief. They’ve proven they can do a LOT better.

Rating: 7 out of 10