Pyroclast – ‘Brought by a Flame’

However, the metal gods deemed it was far from over, with deposits of ash, cinder, and volcanic spatter coming together to form PYROCLAST; the same familiar lineup, the same great music, the same lyrical content… but with a brand-new identity that released them from the shackles of their former band name.

Mark Reid (vocals), Baz Fitzsimmons (guitar), Chris Horne (guitar), Liam Barrie (bass) and Mark Riches (drums) introduced PYROCLAST to rock and metal audiences with a self-titled single a few months ago that coincided with an appearance at the Wildfire Festival, followed by a rebrand of Tantrum’s No Place for the Damned album which is now available under the PYROCLAST name with new visuals and artwork. It all prepared the ground for the next part of PYROCLAST’s evolution, which comes in the form of their new single ‘Brought by a Flame’, set for release on 26th September, along with a glitzy new video that continues the story of the hero from the former band name’s Trinity Trilogy and brings a conclusion to the song ‘Traveller’.

It wouldn’t be a PYROCLAST song without some kind of clever, entertaining story or intelligent narrative to accompany the music, so before delving into the aural delights, let’s get an understanding of the story and lyrical content. The action starts in the year 4,022,037AD as our man hurtles through space in his escape pod (where ‘Traveller’ ended on the Trinity release), with the sound of an alarm system heard as he crash-lands on another planet. The inhabitants of this planet live a primitive but happy life, never having known war, weapons, or even basic elements such as fire. The traveller shows them a single flame from a lighter, one of his only possessions, and teaches them how to make fire and weapons, and allows them to see themselves for the first time in a mirror. He is reluctant to be treated as a god-like figure, worshipped by the inhabitants. But with fire, weapons, knowledge, and self-awareness comes human traits such as selfishness, jealousy, and an aggressive need to take what others have, leading our hero to realise that he’s far from being a saviour but has instead led a once peaceful planet to value fighting and weapons… all ‘Brought by a Flame’! It’s all sounding very 2025 and is undoubtedly a salutary nod to current world affairs.

So, how does the music help to drive this story. As the pod crash-lands, there’s a heavy, speaker-shaking noise of power chords, drums, and some melodic lead guitar noodling that almost has a Celtic-tinge to it. Imagine Thin Lizzy mashed up with classic Iron Maiden intros… but much heavier and with Dimebag Darrell on guitar! As Mark Reid’s storytelling vocals kick in, the verse is a chugging, thick slice of riffy, classic heavy metal in the vein of Touch of Evil-era Judas Priest but with a beefier, more modern sound. As it builds towards the chorus, there’s some fabulous guitar work in the mix, clearing the way for Reid’s crystal-clear voice to soar in a manner that Bruce Dickinson would be proud of, as he sings “a god amongst men, reluctant to rule”.

As our man realises the mistake he’s made and becomes aware of the issues he has brought to a once peaceful society, the music takes a more frantic turn with truly breathtaking, shredding guitar solos that will melt your face with their ferocity yet still manage to be wonderfully melodic. That’s a hard task, and to my ear, there are some elements of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett in the playing, with the hard-hitting drums, fast riffing, driving bass, and scorching solos creating the perfect setting for feeling and understanding the main character’s confusion and regret. This section of the song ends in a similar manner to the mid-section in Metallica’s excellent instrumental ‘Orion’ from the seminal Master of Puppets. Whether by design or coincidence… that works for me!

Bridges (or middle eights) are often my favourite parts of songs (strange, I know!), with some of the best guitar solos and soaring, heartfelt vocals happening in this short space of time. It can bring together everything that’s come before it, yet still has its own distinct musical identity. It’s pleasingly similar in ‘Brought by a Flame’, with the emotion clear when Reid’s character implores “Not a god. Not a saviour. Just the echo of something worse” as regret and realisation lead to anguish, pain, and anger. Musically, it’s dark, moody… and tremendously heavy as the original chorus reappears to bring the song to its conclusion, accompanied by a fist pump inducing “whoa, whoa whoa” that will go down a storm with live audiences. Great stuff indeed!

It's sometimes difficult to categorise PYROCLAST’s music, and ‘Brought by a Flame’ is no different. It’s most definitely classic heavy metal in the vein of legendary metal bands such as Judas Priest and Metallica, but it’s also very prog metal, with clear elements of Queensryche and Dream Theater. Throw in the brilliant storytelling and you’ve got Bruce Dickinson-era Iron Maiden. So, when you delve deep into the song, what is it? ‘Brought by a Flame’ is an experience. It’s a warning to us all that a simple, kind life should never be traded for material things and all the complications that can come with it. It’s an epic story driven by heavy, riff-filled, guitar shredding, melodic metal music, played by a group of uber-talented musicians who really care about the music they release and the fans who will hear it.

‘Brought by a Flame’ is released on 26th September, and physical copies are available for pre-order through the PYROCLAST website and on Bandcamp, with the music video released through YouTube on the same day. The music stands up on its own, but if you really want to fully understand the narrative and immerse yourself in the more cinematic elements of the track, watch the accompanying music video. The track will also be released through the usual streaming platforms on 3rd October.