Saskatoon’s PYTHONIC Unleash Groove‑Driven Assault “Set You Free”
Pythonic erupt with their second single, “Set You Free,” a vicious, groove‑driven assault that challenges religious corruption and hypocrisy with unflinching aggression. Following the May release of their first single, “Sentience,” the band now doubles down on heaviness, message, and momentum as they prepare to unleash their third EP, “Laws of Karma,” on July 10th, 2026.
“Set You Free” has long been a staple of Pythonic’s live set, a track that consistently ignites pits, commands movement, and showcases the band’s sharpened direction. Musically, it’s a crafted banger by guitarist Ryan Hunter, built on riffs that have evolved through years of live refinement. The song’s ripping solo and newly added backing vocals from guitarist Vincent Kohut thicken the attack, giving the track the weight and venom it always demanded.
Lyrically, the single is a direct strike at the failures of organized religion. Vocalist Morgan Warriner’s words condemn the harm, hypocrisy, and abuse perpetuated under the guise of holiness, declaring that any doctrine built on hate deserves to burn. It’s one of the band’s most confrontational statements to date, a message delivered with conviction, fury, and purpose.
The Saskatoon band’s third EP, Laws of Karma, marks a defining moment for them, the end of their “rewriting old material” era and the beginning of a heavier, more death‑driven future.
The EP features revamped tracks once tied to the band’s previous lineup, now reborn with new lyrics, new energy, and a unified vision. Pythonic describes it as their true leap forward, shedding their old skin and emerging with a sound that is thicker, dirtier, groovier, and far more aggressive.
Musically, the EP pushes deeper into death groove, death metal, and slam‑leaning extremity, while still carrying the band’s signature rhythmic swagger. Tracks like “Venom,” “Feed the Flames,” and the title track “Laws of Karma” reflect years of personal struggle, disability, recovery, and catharsis, written through surgeries, immobility, and the darkest periods of the members’ lives.
“The first set of music I’ve written that is fully me… created when I couldn’t walk or move. We made music to make you move when we ourselves at times could not,” adds vocalist Morgan Warriner.
Rising from the ashes of their former lineup, Pythonic now operates as a tight, dedicated unit, a band committed solely to its identity and to pushing its sound into heavier territory. Their live shows have become a destructive force: raw energy, tighter performances, and an aggressive presence that has earned praise from scene veterans like Stu Block (Into Eternity) and Matt Cuthbertson (Untimely Demise).
Recent performances at Slaughter Fest, Serenade Metal Fest, and their May / June 2026 tour with Exit Wound have solidified their reputation as one of Western Canada’s most explosive rising acts.
With their aggressive, groovy, raw, thick, and dirty sound, Pythonic is recommended for fans of Lamb of God, Black Dahlia Murder, Death, Morbid Angel, Devildriver, Pantera, and 200 Stab Wounds.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Vincent Kohut and I play guitar and do backing vocals for the band Pythonic.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
So our recent EP Laws of Karma is some of the heaviest music Pythonic has released to date. It is the heaviest in terms of riffs and subject manner. The title track “Laws of Karma” touches on karmic repurcussions of being an unsavoury individual, the individual in question here is someone who has worked with the band in the past and the outro bit of lyrics is a direct prod at him. The arguably heaviest track has to be “Sentience” , one which talks about wading through life’s turmoil to dig to the core of your being and truly becoming your most authentic self. The lyrics and the riffs both came about after some of the most trying times for members of the band and the emotional charge can surely be felt listening to this track!
Walk us through your creative process when creating music.
Most songs start as guitar riffs from either myself or Ryan Hunter. Sometimes they will be accompanied by a working title that the singer will take and work lyrics around or the whole song it’s self will shift in meaning. Once riffs and lyrics are done the rest of the instrumentals usually get worked on at practises until something we are all happy with comes about. As time goes on structure and length of riffs may be changed but the core from the beginning usually has some staying power.
Now that the music is out, what does the ‘road ahead’ look like? Beyond tours and videos, what’s one ‘bucket list’ goal you hope to achieve with this release?
We hope to have as many people listen to it as possible! I mean every artist hopes for that but we feel we are truly building this band to something special and the more people listening the more we can release in the long run. This release is just a precursor to what we hope can lead into a full length album. We already have most of the tracks written up for a full length and they have to be some of our best works! We have really come into ourselves as musicians and have really been putting the pedal down to bring out the best we got and all we want is to be heard!
Every artist has a ‘lightbulb moment’ where things just clicked. Looking back, what’s the one performance or milestone that made you realize, ‘Okay, this is what I was meant to do’?
Ryan Hunter and I have been working on this band for many years already and have had many lightbulb moments across those years. Precovid we had played many great shows but I would say it hasn’t been until after covid everything started to click more. The first lightbulb was definitely being chosen to play at JUNOfest in Saskatoon having no actual released material at that point. We were subsequently robbed of the opportunity as the night we were scheduled to play was when covid was declared a pandemic so the show was ultimately cancelled but just being recognized at that point was enough for us to get our boots pulled up to work a little more at it. I would say a full string of lights shot up around us in January of 2025 when we made a huge change and replaced our lead singer with our bass player. After this switch we have been afforded many amazing opportunities. That year we ended with us opening for Insurrection, 200 Stab Wounds, Into Eternity, and playing at Slaughterfest in Edmonton Alberta. In 2026 we did a little Prairie run of tour dates with Exit Wound and opened for The Convalescence and Squidhammer. The more we play the more we all want to play and we can only see it going up from here!
We love championing Canadian talent. If you were curating a ‘Must-Listen’ playlist of emerging artists right now, who is the first person you’d add?
Definitely would have to throw Exit Wound from Calgary up there. These dudes have been working so hard at their music and have tons of awesome new material coming down the pipeline as well. Not to mention they also do a stellar cover of “Pull the Plug” by Death and they absolutely nail the leads live!
There’s nothing like the energy of a live room. Where can fans catch you on stage next, and for someone seeing you for the first time, what should they expect from your live experience?
We don’t have a lot booked that we can talk about as of right now. But we are sure to be visiting some more Manitoba and Alberta cities this fall! Expect a sonic onslaught of tight playing and some amazing vocal work done by our front man! We bring a very high energy show to the room that can be hard to follow for headlining acts. We are a hidden gem in Saskatoon and our live show is only going to get more devastating!