First time at BA
Formed in 1987 under the name Mortuary, Pyrexia is recognized as the first New York death metal band to emerge from Long Island. The original lineup featured Chris Basile, alongside future Suffocation members Terrence Hobbs, Doug Ceritto, and Mike Smith. Though Mortuary disbanded before recording demos, Basile, Daryl Wagner, and Guy Marchand regrouped and released the "Liturgy of Impurity" demo in 1991. Their landmark debut album, "Sermon of Mockery" (1993), became a cult classic, solidifying Pyrexia’s status among premier U.S. death metal acts. The album was later reissued in 2015 by Century Media. With Keith Devito taking over vocal duties, Pyrexia released the brutal "Hatredangerandisgust" EP (1995) and their sophomore full-length, "System of the Animal" (1997). In 1999, Devito joined Obituary’s Trevor Peres in the band Catastrophic, which released its debut album on Metal Blade in 2001.
Over the years, Pyrexia evolved with a rotating lineup of talented musicians. "Feast of Iniquity" (2013) featured two drummers, Doug Bohn and Dave Culross (both ex-Suffocation), adding another layer of percussive brutality. The band welcomed Jim Beach as vocalist in 2017 and, most recently, Ron Kachnic (Malignancy) joined as second guitarist in 2024. With over three decades of relentless death metal, Pyrexia remains an unshakable force in the scene.
