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Psycroptic - Psycroptic review




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Reviewer:
7.0

71 users:
7.55
Band: Psycroptic
Album: Psycroptic
Release date: March 2015


01. Echoes To Come
02. Ending
03. A Soul Once Lost
04. Cold
05. Setting The Skies Ablaze
06. Ideals That Won't Surrender
07. Sentence Of Immortality
08. The World Discarded
09. Endless Wandering

An innate capacity of Psycroptic is their stability in studio variance. No record is a replication of those which preceded it, and each successively demonstrates the band's evolution without compromising the core integrity in their technical approach to death metal. A self-titled sees no change to this, yet it lacks the vigorous edge expected from an album bearing the band's own name.

The direction that the Tasmanians have been taking across their most recent efforts is one that has, at this point, distanced their studio sound considerably from the brutal extremities found in The Scepter Of The Ancients. They've consistently opted for a style based in fleeter song structure than a technically delivered death metal; its currently more fluid form and technicality foregoing an emphasis on a more stringent death metal tone and foundation. Years after the loss of the lauded vocalisations from "Chalky," the band have moved with the times to an extent. Though not to lose their own identity, they've pursued a style on the verge of integrating metalcore into the mix, primarily through Peppiat's more relevantly modern manner of vocal delivery. Although unerring, the vocals became a very fixed feature for the previous record, despite all of its strengths in performance.

The production of The Inherited Repression made for an exceptional clarity of sound that brought out the best in the band's increasingly melodic tendencies, with technical precision at the behest of the frantic fret fanatic that is Joe Haley implementing the drive to a well layered and mixed maelstrom about integrally melodic song structures. The tightly woven riffs were incisive and the rhythms engaging, albeit induced in a more homogenous outing for the band.

Psycroptic sees variety between its tracks as more vital this time around, and is the record's greatest asset, it being more commendable than their previous outing in The Inherited Repression in this regard. Peppiat enhances much of the instrumental variety in his equally varied vocal arrangements, from the rapid metalcore venom of the thrash fuelled number "Setting The Skies Ablaze" to the clear pronunciation in delivery in cuts like "Cold" and "Ending." However, and despite the album's well established points of distinction best demonstrated within its first half, there is an intra-track degradation which wears the record down considerably; the instrumentation lacking variance within the context of each track to avoid the onset of a monotonous drag that weighs on the record, especially toward its filler prone end.

The record removes the atmospheric backdrop that had been such an enhancing aspect to prior efforts, consequently capturing a comparatively plain and pale sound. The early promise of such an atmosphere in the intro of the opener "Echoes To Come" is one largely left unfulfilled throughout the album's duration, ultimately representing a bare-bones performance for the band.

Although technical proficiency certainly isn't lost to them in a self-titled, and commendable variety between its tracks are made available, it's plain to hear that Psycroptic are going through the motions in this latest effort.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 7
Songwriting: 7
Originality: 7
Production: 7





Written on 07.03.2015 by R'Vannith enjoys music, he's hoping you do too.


Comments page 3 / 3

Comments: 67   Visited by: 250 users
11.03.2015 - 13:41
Rating: 7
musclassia

Oh it's going to be a pleasant day in a fortnight's time when this amiable and respectful fellow regains the ability to comment.

On-topic: based upon the last album, the songs I've heard from this record, and the general problems of offering up uniqueness and excitement most post-90s tech-death has come to suffer from, I would be surprised if I rated the album any higher than the reviewer. Still, they're an enjoyable enough band for a listen or two, and I still think (Ob)servant's a genuinely strong album, so I'll give it a whirl. Nice review, although who knew 'going through the motions' was going to be such a controversial statement!
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11.03.2015 - 16:38
psykometal
A staff guy...
Written by Cynic Metalhead on 11.03.2015 at 07:25

ex-database manager turn staff Psyko

But then...

I'm still the Db Manager. Or maybe I should say I'm the Db Manager once again as of a couple months back. http://metalstorm.net/home/about.php
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~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~

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14.03.2015 - 21:10
BitterCOld
The Ancient One
So someone is apparently off their meds. doing some cleansing of the thread, but let this be a lesson, he's a hair trigger from being perma nuked upon his return.

you can disagree respectfully but when you start hurling personal insults 'cos someone only thinks an album is, Zomg, "good" it's a fast track to getting blown the fuck up.
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get the fuck off my lawn.

Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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16.03.2015 - 12:55
-Morbid-

I haven't listened to this album yet, but I have enjoyed all of their albums but The Inherited Repression felt a bit more "flat" than the others and did have moments (along with a few tracks on Ob(servant) as well) that just dragged on a bit too long and I would lose interest.

I really love a lot the riffs that Joe Haley comes up with though, it's just a shame that the songs don't always make the best use of them. I sorta feel that if they want to continue the groove-oriented direction that they seem to be tipping towards that they need to chop the songs down a bit, closer to the 3 minute side of things than the 4 and a half minute average they are usually on, or start throwing in some solos or something because several of the tracks on The Inherited Repression tempt me to push the "next" button about 2/3rds of the way through.

I'm sure I'll pick this one up at some point just to hear what Joe has cooked up this time though.
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21.03.2015 - 04:02
UPDIRNS

I like this album a lot. I crank it and smile while I work on my car or 4 wheeler. It's good shit IMO.
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08.04.2015 - 11:45
ScreamingSteelUS
Editor-in-Chief
I actually thought this was one of the best-written reviews I've read on this site in a while. I won't be checking it out either, partly because it doesn't seem too interesting and partly because I'm just lazy.
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"Earth is small and I hate it" - Lum Invader

I'm the Agent of Steel.
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15.12.2022 - 03:48
Rating: 7
tintinb

Well that's one helluva thread.

The song that really stuck out for me was Sentence of Immortality otherwise the other songs sort of blend into each other.
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Leeches everywhere.
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