ILLYRIAN

It’s been boiling heavily up there in Canada for the last ten or so years, and the Calgary region in particular has seen quite a few high-caliber acts emerge from its ever so pulsating protoplasma of full metal madness.
While some Canadian metal bands have truly perfected the art of presenting the often overlooked Canadian history and lore to the world, ILLYRIAN took a vastly different route.
After flying pretty much under the radar with their first two and a half self-released, yet critically acclaimed albums that rooted heavily in death and thrash metal and helped shape the songwriting, the hilariously talented power quartet is back – sicker, faster and more refined than ever, getting ready to present the good stuff to a greater audience.
Can a song be groovy as fuck while haunting the listener with demonic speed and madhouse melodies at the same time?
Yeah, it can.
‘A Lecherous Defalcation’ is loaded with the kind of tongue-in-cheek humor that’s become pretty rare in metal nowadays, while kicking serious ass with its fast-paced horror theme derived from the band’s video gaming background.
The listener gets sucked right into an energetic maelstrom by the high-octane intro section, the dynamic and tension of which increases even more thanks to the pressure of an ultra-tight double kick drum pattern up until Jeff (Perry)’s piercing voice cuts the shreds like the deadliest manifestation of a Jack in the Box.
It’s really one of these song openings where you insta-know what you’ve got coming, waiting for it with a grin on your face, getting it served hot yet never expecting it to be that good.
And it’s all here for you to grasp:
the speed, the breaks, the heavy headbanger half-time stomp, the voice of a hellhound, the break-neck battery of drums rivaling the mechanical precision of your trusty old Honey Badger (if you’re a Ghost Recon player – if not, think SMG-brrrrrrrrrrt!), the climbing guitar scales played up almost black metal like, the harmonized melodies, the proggy/thrashy syncopated riff lines and the high-peaking, shimmering guitar solo.
ILLYRIAN have a new album in the making for 2024.
However, ‘A Lecherous Defalcation’ will not be featured on it, as it’s merely the band’s first salute to European audiences and a sizzling hot contribution for your next metal grill party – if you’re not one of the folks who go south for a laugh, that is.