PIST

With previous releases like Riffology and Rhythm & Booze, PIST developed an Orange Goblin-style reputation for beery good times wrapped in arse-shaking heavy grooves. On Hailz they retain the heaviness but take a considerably darker tack.

Lyrically, the album delves into themes of loss, inspired in part by the suicide of a close friend during the writing process. There’s also plenty of bile and confusion at the state of the world, and this all filters into the music.There are still plenty of bluesy stoner rock riffs, but now their other elements have been dragged screaming to the forefront.

Opener Ex-Nihilo flips from a big rolling groove straight into shrieking black metal, while Wreck displays a hardcore edge alongside its spidery reverb and low, pulsing bass. There are also some moments of hazy psychedelia in the likes of Mind Rotter and Strangle The Sun.

It’s a multi-faceted but supremely pissed-off attack from the depths of the British underground.

Verdict: 4/5 - Kerrang!

PIST released an EP (Riffology) in 2014 and saw the band labelled as a stoner-doom band with heavy, slow catchy riffs and followed it up with Rhythm & Booze a year later of the same vibe. Hailz takes the band in a different direction leaning more towards, in their words, a ‘heavy metal, rock and roll band who listen to a fair bit of Black metal and Punk’ and that is certainly true with this album. Wreck sees a banging heavy metal intro riff before assaulting the ears with an almost Uada feeling blast beat which then slows in to another metal section with a tasty bass solo section (that tone was bang on by the way!).
Mind Rotter gives us a psychedelic intro that has a hell of a lot of emotion emanating from it which leads us into some more classic sounding huge metal riffage before exploding back in to some more black metal sections. The blend of the two really work well. I think if it was any lesser musicians it might not work as well but the guys in PIST can write and execute bloody well!
A great example of how well this blend of multi-genres works is on my favorite track, Fools Gave Chase. We have stoner elements, a rock ballad section accompanied by a killer lead from guitarist John, those fast black metal sections still pop in and out and it works, it really does. It’s a tasty change from the standard verse, chorus, verse, bridge that is seen in a lot of music released these days. I mean don’t get me wrong, I love a tasty breakdown and ‘standard’ song structure but I’m loving this album. It really keeps you guessing on what is coming next.



The album has a lot of surprises, but you need to listen to it for those! I will say this though, not only does it have catchy riffs along a roller-coaster ride but it also has feeling and emotion both lyrically and vocally so grab some headphones, crack open a beer and pour a chaser, stick a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign on your forehead and enjoy what is without doubt a fucking banging album.

Well done gents! - All About The Rock

Given the sheer wealth of talent across the UK, you’d be forgiven for not having PIST on your radar. Despite being a popular name in the Manchester metal scene, these riff juggernauts are very much contained as a North Western treasure. All that could change though with their second full-length album, Hailz, as the band look to establish themselves on a national level.

Unlike 2015’s debut, Rhythm & Booze, Hailz sees PIST evolve and incorporate a myriad of influences that extend far beyond the stoner doom tag that was first associated with them. Indeed, the four years from said debut to now has enabled the quarter to really enhance their sound and Hailz is the proof in the pudding. Black metal, punk, stoner and good old traditional heavy metal traits are all thrown in the mixing pot and the resulting sound is utterly intoxicating.

Ex-Nihilo kicks Hailz off with an almighty bang as sludge-esque riffs hammer home in a groovy introductory barrage before subsiding into an atomic explosion of ferocious riffing and snarling vocals from frontman Dave Rowlands. It’s a triumphant opening and gives an indication at the multitude of sounds and influences PIST look to explore on this new release.

Whilst Rhythm & Booze could be perceived as slightly one dimensional, Hailz quickly makes it apparent that this is not a one trick pony of a record. Wreck‘s dense riffing ooze grooves of neck-snapping ferocity and it’s doom-driven bass undertones are incredibly satisfying whilst lead single Mind Rotter perfectly captures the band’s essence across its near five minute duration. Here, the band shine as they ebb and flow from psychedelic guitar flutters to a bombastic medley of pummelling drums and easily digestible riffing that sounds akin to homegrown favourites ORANGE GOBLIN.
Similarly, the black metal bedrock of John Nicholson‘s guitars, Mike Collins‘ bass and Andy Hunt‘s drums in If I Was You… inject real venom to proceedings, allowing Dave Rowlands‘ interchanging shrieks and NOLA-esque cleans to make a real connection whilst Strangle The Sun‘s psychedelic leaning influences, especially in the guitars and vocals, flip things on their head, showcasing a band that are as dynamic as they are proficient at executing a variety of styles to wonderful effect.

Indeed, time has been kind to PIST. By spending the last four years refining and experimenting with their soundscape, Hailz is nothing short of a triumph. A multifaceted, dynamic and neck-snapping album, this new offering from PIST will surely stamp their name on an overpopulated scene and the world is now very much their oyster.

Rating: 8/10 - Distorted Sound

Opening with a bendy, weight-of-the-world riff that would make Kirk Windstein cry, “Ex-Nihilo” deftly sets the tone with a grooving verse and singer Dave Rowlands’ gruff, Southern-fried (by way of Northern England) delivery, only to break character and dive right into a tremolo-picked gallop accompanied by bassist Mike Collins’ black metal rasp. In lesser hands, a hard turn like that could easily lose some listeners. And no doubt there are stoner and doom purists out there that will turn their noses up at bands making choices outside the denim-and-weed sphere. But Pist double down on spreading their leathery black wings on the next track “Wreck,” with the aforementioned Skeletonwitch and even some Nachtmystium textures permeating the sound palette. Anchored by the main sludgy riff, guitarist John Nicholson explores black and post-metal realms without going too far down the rabbit hole; the rest of Pist keeps the song structure fully intact until its final coda.
“Mind Rotter” again finds the band walking a razor’s edge between straightforward barn-burner stoner metal and a more blended genre offering, to the point where the verses even alternate between styles. This is where production can make or break a song’s efficacy, so recording with Chris Fielding (Conan) was the best decision Pist could have made. Fielding has been behind the boards for everyone from The Wounded Kings to Napalm Death — as well as all Pist’s previous releases — so not only does he know what the band wants, he’s naturally attuned to working with various approaches. Hailz maintains a consistent tone that allows for experimentation but doesn’t get mired in it: “Fools Gave Chase” serves as the album’s centerpiece, loading up on big hooks while also balancing them against a quiet middle passage complete with David Gilmour-esque soloing.
“If I Was You…” is the band’s most stark departure, where groove plays a minimal role to dominant blast beats and relentless riffing. Aside from a somewhat catchy chorus, it would sound right at home in Skeletonwitch’s early four-piece incarnation. “Strangle the Sun” brings Hailz back around to the big, bouncy stoner rock arena sound, complete with guest backing vocals from Jack Townley and Peter Holland of London doom merchants Elephant Tree. “Skin Your God” finishes the album on a high-energy note, with Collins and Nicholson going note-for-note most of the song, outside of Nicholson’s most impressive solo work on the album.
Stoner doom typically has a “fun” connotation inherent to the genre, at least when compared to its black and death metal counterparts. While putting them all together may not work for some, Pist is certainly doing it as well as anyone else; besides that, they’re trying something new and making bold choices. Hails, indeed.


Read More: Pist “Hailz” a New Sound on New Album | http://www.invisibleoranges.com/pist-album-stream/?trackback=tsmclip - Invisible Oranges

Pist's return is an emotional one. But instead of mourning the death of long standing friend and ardent supporter of the band Eytan Dorrran Wineapple by crying over an acoustic guitar, the band sound more vicious and virile than ever before, falling into the arms of the nurturing, theraputic aesthetics of extreme metal with great effect. Hailz is a fitting tribute by a band connecting with painful raw emotions and doing so with brutality and grace.

Ex-Nilho blends filth flecked Crowbar riffs with thinking mans black metal explosions, whilst Wreck is blunt force trauma in a stylish msucial form; it's easily a standout moment. If I Was You... is ominous and venemous in equal measure, spitting out merciless trem picked riffs while its sledgehammer chorus temporarily and skillfully replaces the track's relentlessness with a hardened groove.
But for all the adrenalised beatings the album dishes out, there are counterpoint moments of evocative reflection, no less than on Strangle The Sun. There they sound bruised and downbeat, with bassist Michael Collins taking stepping up on vocals to add a chilling dynamic of which the band has never previously had.

In all, it is the injection of new ideas that has lit the record's brightly burning beacon. When songs turn on a sixpence to dart away from low down stoner grooves towards breakneck extreme metal passages, all masterminded by guitarist John Nicholson, or when they take their foot off the gas and let the emotion pour out from their chests is when they are at their most potent, entertaining and unique. Hailz. - Manchester Rocks