It's now time for our 203rd monthly CD review on the SMS and with our lengthy backlog for new album releases stretching into 2027, our next new album in release order is local death metal trio Pillory's full length album "Old Soul"! Independently launched at their Soo Blaster release party on October 27th, this is the long awaited follow-up to their 2013 thrash demo EP "Cringe At The Cross". In the works since at least mid-2024, songwriting for this album began during their 2015-2019 run where they evolved into a death metal band. Recorded at Unsalted Audio with producer Dustin Goodall, Pillory are again represented here by singer/guitarist Robert Sartini (All The Tired Horses/All Over The Map) alongside former Issues/Lazer Queen drummer Bret Shuttleworth. Though recorded during Blair St. John's time in the band and released after Robert's old Crimson Crusade bandmate Devon Lucier rejoined, former bassist Jordan Leach recorded on "Old Soul".
Online marketing does not clarify whether Jordan (who lives abroad nowadays) recorded parts remotely for the album, or if he tracked bass parts during his 2015-2017 stint in Pillory, but it is good to see him involved in new material with a local band after almost a decade away! As linked via Distrokid, the album can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, and Deezer, while it can also be heard on Bandcamp, YouTube, and a handful of other smaller services. The album can be bought on mp3 format for $9.99 on iTunes or $15 on Bandcamp, and CDs cost $20 at The Rad Zone, on Bandcamp, and at Pillory concerts. With nine songs running for about 37 minutes, let's get put in the pillory once again!
The album leads off with "The Angst Of Existence", a bass line-driven track that leans well into their modern death metal sound! With the benefit of studio recording quality, the influence from the band Death and Chuck Schuldiner's songwriting/vocal style is very evident, but Robert does have a slightly lower rasp. The first half of the song is more deliberately paced while still being intense and pointed, but there is a faster break at the midway mark. Bret's drumming and pedal work goes off like a machine gun in the closing stretch (his talents are well known by now), and while I'd like more of a guitar solo, this is a fine way to introduce modern Pillory in studio form! Next up is "Abhorred Apprension", which is a little more ferocious out of the gate, and lets Robert show off a little more for his guitar riffing and melodies. When there are are proper verses, the song does dial up in heaviness generally, which is good to see!
However, the bridge just before the 3 minute mark is almost too punishing and amelodic, and breaks the existing flow of the song. Again, I'd like to hear a true guitar solo in this relatively short track, but this delivers the brutality with professionalism and a solid edge more often than not! "Curse Of Eternal Sickness" follows with a galloping (dare I say, Amon Amarthy) riff and structure, but the verses are more relentless and in your face. This will absolutely incite mosh pits at their concerts, and can a death metal band ask for more? A relatively soft bridge does stall the momentum, but when the song is firing on all cylinders, it benefits from a strong bass line from Jordan and assuredly technical drumming from Bret. While not as intricately plotted as the first two songs, it crushes as a straightforward death metal song Fourth is "Wasting" (as in, "wasting time", not "wasting away").
This song has more in common with the first two tracks with its structure and riffing, and it has some of Robert's best guitar playing on the album so far! Some of his clearer screaming/growling too, I always appreciate when there's audible enunciation in death metal! This song benefits from a tight structure, no dead air, and steadily relentless percussion, to add up to one of my favourite songs on "Old Soul"! The ending came from out of nowhere though, I was ready to rock out for longer. The midpoint of the album falls on "Sculptor Of Cadavers", which honestly has a little groove metal flourish in its riffing at points in the first half, but it is still assuredly a death metal song. We get another soft bridge in the middle that stalls the momentum (honestly, if you're gonna commit to doing that, I'd try clean vocals then), but when at full gear, everyone performs well , and Bret's going off on drums, especially in the back half. Those pedals got a workout!
Good stuff that has a little something for all extreme metalheads within (well, aside from no guitar solo), so don't bypass it! Song #6 is "The Passing", a charging death metal song with catchy yet heavy riffs and Robert giving purposefully aggressive vocals throughout, and this is another song that is just primed to incite opening up the pit! Fast, technical, but still a fairly no frills song that gets by from their talents and aggression alone, so this is another highlight for subgenre fans! The last 27 seconds are sampled from a vintage recording of the song "It's A Lonesome Old Town" (possibly by Kay Starr?). That's followed by "Specimen Of Egotism", which is the shortest song on this album, as well as its only instrumental. Arguably, vocals would get in the way, as this is (for my money), the heaviest and most punishing song on offer, especially via Bret's hammering drums and the quality bass lines!
While they still aren't including full guitar solos, Robert does noodle a bit more late, so there is some melody in the back half beyond the crushing nature of this song. Good stuff, and it stands alone as a showcase of how heavy Pillory are willing to go as pure musicians! The penultimate song is "To Know Is To Suffer", which shows off their musical talents well, but it does feel somewhat dialed back in aggression for a slower (for them) pace that almost has trancey guitar work, if contrasting with Bret's technical percussion. By no means a bad song, it will lead to headbanging, and Robert's vocals are on point, but it has a more diverse soundscape that leans into atmospheric moreso than progressive, and if you particularly got into the earlier songs on the album, this may be too much of a jump. "Old Soul" closes with its longest song, "Exhaustive Incarnation". which brings back the technical and prog-influenced time signatures and riffing, and despite the length, they don't waste a moment!
...well, maybe the slow break with ominous sampling at around 4:40 aside. Robert lays in some of his strongest guitar work on this song, with Jordan and Bret more than holding their own in response! Honestly, some of Bret's best drumming is in this song, but in the extended fade-out, and why they decided to have the song fade out for 20 seconds is beyond me. At least it's not an abrupt ending, but still! This intricate and brutal song is easily one of the best on the album, so Pillory end things on a high note!
So, what are my final thoughts on Pillory's proper full length debut album? Overall, it's a very strong release that will appeal to fans of progressive and technical death metal! Solid production and 12 years of improved musicianship since their first EP help a lot here, and the guys apply everything well to deliver brutality while also showing off their skill sets. Robert's aggressive vocal work sets the tone, and his shredding and riffs compliment Jordan's bass lines well, and Bret's drumming has jumped leaps and bounds in the past decade (give his own YouTube channel a watch for proof of that). The influences of the band Death are obvious at points, but they do vary things enough in speed and structure, with little of their early thrash beginnings left at this stage as songwriters. If there's one thing from "Cringe At The Cross" that I would have liked to have seen retained, it's guitar solos, which are virtually absent across "Old Soul".
That was my biggest negative point on this album, though some songs also had abrupt stops in momentum for soft patches, and the closer takes way too long to fade out. The good far outweighs the bad though, and especially on songs like "Wasting" and "Exhaustive Incarnation", you get a full look at what Pillory have to offer in the 2020s. Brutal, punishing, and proficient work from everyone involved, and here's hoping that we're not waiting another 12 years for Pillory's next CD! Buy or stream it above, and I hope you guys liked this month's album review! We'll kick off the summer season by looking at Sault Michigan hardcore punk band Viscera's October 2026 EP "From Feast To Famine" next month, so look for that and more soon! Thanks everyone!
