PSYCROPTIC

Ob(servant)

Nuclear Blast/ CD

Eat a sandwitch, drink a beer, watch some TV series, get some sleep, dig your garden, go for a walk with your dog, call your girlfriend and tell her how much you are missing her, or at least... I don't know... pick your nose maybe? Pleasure can be found in sooo many little things, while listening to the fourth PSYCROPTIC album called "Ob(servant)" means nothing but the pain, almost 50-minutes of death metal torture for your ears. Are you interested? Huh... I guess you might be a pervert if self-inflicted pain is the only thing that makes you feel better...

PSYCROPTIC comes from Australia and they are among the few extreme metal bands from that part of the world who managed to gain worldwide recognition. Their first self-released album "The Isle of Disenchantment" (2001) helped them to sign a deal with well known in the underground American record label Unique Leader. The second effort "The Scepter Of The Ancients"- described by many metalheads as "sensational" was released in 2003. The band made next step forward with the third album "Symbols of Failure" released under the wings of Neurotic Records. After that they immediately got an offer from Nuclear Blast and here they are! The fourth full length baby of PSYCROPTIC features nine songs of brutal, yet melodic, complex and technically crushing death metal. It sounds like a mixture of Schuldiner-inspired, twisted riffing with extremely intricate and vicious drum parts. OK, that's nothing really new when it comes to this band. They have already managed to establish themselves as one of the most technical bands within death metal genre. Which is much more important, on "Ob(Servant)" PSYCROPTIC's music became much more accessible compared to some of their previous recordings. Don't worry! The band didn't lose their balls, power and heaviness are still there (I would even say that the magnitude of their brutality in songs like the title track or "Blood Stained Lineage" even enhanced!), although new songs are definitely better thought out. Listening to PSYCROPTIC music you can finally remember some particular riffs or focus on melodic hooks appearing here and there. Vocal parts of Jason Peppiatt are also much better compared to band's pervious album, better-shaped and structured, not so annoying anymore.

In my opinion PSYCROPTIC on "Ob(servant)" album have finally reached a point where their amazing technical skills can go hand in hand with mature songwriting. And thus they have proven themselves to be another band in a short list of really unique, fresh and interesting death metal acts.

...Your bleeding ears fucking hate you...

10/12