Force & Fire = Ryan of Unearthly Trance + mems of Indecision, playing Saint Vitus w/ Morne (stream their demo)

by Doug Moore

Ryan Lipynsky w/ Unearthly Trance, 2010 (more by Markus Shaffer)

Unearthly Trance were one of my favorite New York metal bands during their decade-long run — they combined doom, sludge, black metal, and psychedelic weirdness with an uncommon degree of songwriting sophistication. Though all three members still work together in Serpentine Path, UT’s 2012 breakup was a serious bummer for me.

Former UT frontman Ryan Lipynsky — who also plays in the excellent black metal band The Howling Wind — is now singing and playing guitar in a project called Force & Fire, which also features members of the classic New York hardcore band Indecision. Of all of Lipynsky’s many non-UT projects, this new act bears the strongest similarity to his former band’s later work. Like Unearthly Trance, Force & Fire play comparatively up-tempo doom that balances warbling dissonance with genuine hooks; it’s a real pleasure to hear Lipynsky’s excellent clean singing and hard-fought guitar solos bubble to the surface again. You can stream their under-the-radar 2013 demo below.

Force & Fire will be putting in a live NYC appearance on March 1 at Saint Vitus Bar alongside the great Boston sludge/crust crew Morne (who just announced a European tour) and locals Iron Force. Tickets are on sale now. This one should be a rager.

Stream the Force & FIre demo below…

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