Prior to the Second Industrial Revolution in the 19th century, the northwestern portion of the state of Ohio was occupied by the Great Black Swamp - a nearly impenetrable mire of filth and disease. Over the course of 150 years the land was rehabilitated, rose to prominence as a manufacturing mainstay, and then plunged into a typical Rust Belt depression. Today, this region, which includes the Toledo metropolitan area, is haunted by ghosts of both eras - empty fields of dried scum and abandoned, decrepit buildings define the landscape. It is also the home of PYTHIAN, a band which is largely a product of its environment. After forming in the year 2018, the three-piece spent several years crafting a tumultuous sound fueled by the misery around them - sludge, doom, post-metal, and noise all slurred together in a manner both elusive and menacing. The band released their first EP "The Great Silence" in 2019 and followed it up with a three-way split with Bifid Corpse and Surfer James in early 2022. Now their most recent creation UNDERSTANDING IN LIGHT drives their music to its most tormented point yet. PYTHIAN searches for wisdom in suffering and presents their findings across 30 tense minutes and 4 harrowing songs. Each track on this release echoes with the anguish of the area in which it was conceived - to hear this EP is to taste the pain that hangs over their homeland. Recommended for fans of: Neurosis, Chained to the Bottom of the Ocean, Thou
