With an almighty Aussie assault on our auditory arrays, Tassie boys Psycroptic are back to peel the remaining flesh and cartilage from our ears with their new album, The Pulse Of Annihilation.
This album gets the heart pumping to the point of having a goddamn heart attack. A literal pulse of annihilation, because of the exceptionally methodical massacre Psycroptic bestow upon their loyal and new fans alike.
In my “I fucking know everything” youth, if you had told me that one of the heaviest and most technical death metal bands in the world would come from Tasmania, I’d have probably laughed in your face until I cried.
But I’m man enough to admit when teenage me was wrong. Admonish me if it makes you feel better.
For the record, I’m sorry!
Young me apologises unreservedly.
The Tassie metal tyrants have kicked it up a notch with The Pulse Of Annihilation. Classic Psycroptic. Venomous, complex and unrestrained, they’re not here to fuck spiders. They are back to blow your mind.
I’m still picking bits of my brain up off the floor!
Mission accomplished, boys.
Psycroptic are sharper than ever. Precise and so damn technical it makes me scratch my head in wonder. That’s what first drew me to Psycroptic well over a decade ago. The power, passion and precision they would play with formidable ease.
The Pulse Of Annihilation extends that spectacle, and admiration on my part, taking my personal awe for Psycroptic to levels unforeseen, particularly as a stupid teenage fuckwit kid.
The “pulse” of this album is one of cardiac extremity. Guitarist Joe Haley once again defies all laws of physics, with fretwork faster than the speed of light, obliterating every song with his fingers of fury.
Joe Haley, brilliance be thy name.
There are simply no words to express my admiration for the Haley brothers. Every time a Psycroptic album comes out, I don’t have to worry if it’s going to be shit or if it’s going to be good. Psycroptic aren’t one of those bands that brings out a disappointing album every now and then.
They never miss the target, and always keep up with the everchanging landscape of metal. They have a unique ability to hit the spot every single time, a rarity for any band.
Speaking of the Haley brothers, the heartbeat of this perpetual heart stopper, drummer Dave Haley, shows his genius behind the kit once again, taking on all and sundry in this percussion masterclass.
Unstoppable and unpredictable, Dave takes us on a journey through space and timing, see what I did there, in a way only he could.
There is no other drummer like Dave Haley. He is one of a kind. A four-leaf clover, bringing the heavy and technicality only the best drummers in the world could bring.
Brutal and indefatigable.
The beating heart of the machine that is Psycroptic.
The dual vocals of Jason Peppiatt and Origin’s Jason Keyser deliver double the vicious vocal voracity, taking The Pulse Of Annihilation to the next level of vivaciousness. Their towering twin tones are seamless, sending Psycroptic into the stratosphere of savagery.
Whether it’s hellish growls or anguished screams, their vaporising vocals tear through the void between our world and the next, setting the torturous tone for The Pulse Of Annihilation.
Bassist Todd Stern probably doesn’t get spoken about as much as he should. I can’t imagine playing alongside two of the most imaginative brothers and being able, not only to keep up, but deliver the undertone of the album with meticulousness and fastidiousness.
Put together, the four of these Tasmanian juggernauts have delivered something special on The Pulse Of Annihilation.
That pulse grows faster every day, never knowing when the tipping point will inevitably come and the annihilation of the world we know, and love, mostly, will begin our abrupt and bloody end.
The world is facing its toughest battle yet. The survival of humanity rests upon the shoulders of the very people who want to see us annihilated.
We are the pulse.
They are annihilation.
This album kicks ass.
Recommend it to your friends, your parents, the dickheads down the street that keep you up all night, anyone who has blood flowing through their veins, be they human, alien or spectre.
The Pulse Of Annihilation is a testament to the fellas in Psycroptic.
May their music live on for eternity.
The Pulse Of Annihilation Releases July 17 via Metal Blade Records.
Preorders
Find all preorders at:
https://metalblade.com/psycroptic
The Pulse Of Annihilation Track Listing
- Ashes Of A New Dawn
- Gathering A Venomous Herd
- A Sword Of Me
- No Time For The Weak
- Our Pillars Fall
- Annihilation Pulse
- No Blade Of Grass
- To Embrace This Curse
- Forging The Crown
Psycroptic Australian Tour With Rivers Of Nihil
This August, Psycroptic join like-minded and saxophone-wielding US progressive death wizards Rivers Of Nihil for a co-headline tour of Australia that brings together two elite bands operating at the highest tier of modern death metal.
Tour Dates
Thursday August 13: Magnet House, Perth
Friday August 14: Lion Arts, Adelaide
Saturday August 15: Max Watts, Melbourne
Friday August 21: Manning Bar, Sydney
Saturday August 22: Necrosonic Festival, Brisbane
Tickets on sale now at:
https://daltours.cc/psycroptic-rivers
