Biography

A punishing American death metal group based out of Long Island, Pyrexia began making waves in the metal underground in 1993 with the release of their influential debut, Sermon of Mockery. Part of the New York death metal scene that birthed acts like Suffocation, Internal Bleeding, and Dehumanized, the band endured myriad lineup changes and periods of inactivity over the years, but managed to keep their uncompromising sound intact via hard-hitting releases like System of the Animal (1997), Age of the Wicked (2006), and Unholy Requiem (2018). Founded in 1990 under the moniker Mortuary by Chris Basile, Guy Marchais, Daryl Wagner, Mike Andrejko, and Rob Shimonski -- all of whom had ties to Suffocation -- the group disbanded shortly before recording their first demos. Rebranding themselves Pyrexia, and featuring a lineup consisting of Basile, Wagner, and Marchais, the newly minted group issued a demo titled Liturgy of Impurity in 1991. More personnel changes preceded the release of their debut studio album, 1993's Sermon of Mockery, with guitarist Tony Caravella joining the ranks. Released by overseas indie Hard Vinyl, the album helped to define the group as one of the premier American death metal acts, and was eventually reissued in 2015 by Century Media. Wagner departed in 1994, making way for new vocalist Keith Devito, who made his studio debut on the 1995 EP Hatredangerandisgust. The band's sophomore full-length effort, System of the Animal, followed in 1997 via Danish label Serious Entertainment. In 1999, Devito was asked to front Obituary for an upcoming tour. Upon returning, he and Obituary guitarist Trevor Peres asked the rest of Pyrexia to join them in a new project called Catastrophic. The band would go on to release its debut long-player, The Cleansing, via Metal Blade in 2001, with a sophomore effort, Pathology of Murder, arriving in 2008. Guitarist Basile left the project shortly after the release of Catastrophic's debut in order to re-form Pyrexia. Featuring a new lineup that included Basile, drummer Justin DiPinto, and powerhouse vocalist Erick Shute, the group recorded three new songs for the 2004 best-of Cruelty Beyond Submission, which was released by U.K. independent label Crash Records. In 2006, the band inked a deal with Unique Leader and issued their third full-length outing, Age of the Wicked, the following year. New bassist Shaun Kennedy made his debut on 2013's bludgeoning Feast of Iniquity, which utilized the power of two drummers -- Doug Bohn, Dave Culross, both of Suffocation fame. Jim Beach took over vocal duties on the group's fifth studio effort, 2018's Unholy Requiem, which also introduced drummer Alex Cohen and guitarist Danny Trapani. ~ James Christopher Monger, Rovi