The Funeral Pyre

The Funeral Pyre were formed in the Los Angeles suburb of La Habra in 2001, and quickly joined the fray of metal bands storming the area with their 2002 EP, Whispering to the Shadows, released when they were still going by the name of Envilent. A 2003 demo entitled simply October served to announce their new moniker, and bandmembers John Strachan (vocals), James Joyce (guitar), Daniella Jones (keyboards), Adam Campbell (bass), and Alex Hernandez (drums) wasted little time before recording their debut full-length, Immersed by the Flames of Mankind, which they released themselves in 2004. Like its successor, The Nature of Betrayal, two years later, that album showcased a balanced blend of fast, furious, yet melodic black and death metal and soon drew the attention of Prosthetic Records, which signed the group and reissued The Nature of Betrayal in 2007. But change was on the horizon, and after completing an aggressive bout of touring across the U.S. with bands like Trivium, Vader, and 3 Inches of Blood, the Funeral Pyre replaced keyboardist Jones with second guitarist Justin J-Bone, and proceeded to embrace black metal almost exclusively on their third long-player, Wounds, released (once again by Prosthetic) in the summer of 2008.