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Psycroptic: Symbols of failure

22/12/11 || The Duff

While I idolize Decapitated to no end, I think the only truly tech album they’ve released is “Nihility”, and while the sub-genre is probably my favourite style of music, and despite some absolutely classic brutal death metal bands venturing into the tech domain, there are only three bands that truly perform the style admirably, where the blend of style and substance is unmatched: Spawn of Possession, Necrophagist and Psycroptic.

These Tasmanians released a promising debut and a crushing masterpiece of a sophomore. With “Symbols of Failure” they upped the ante on the tech, matured as songwriters and released once more one of the finest examples of tech death the scene could have hoped for. “Symbols of Failure” is a deadly mix of groove, mayhem and infectiousness, probably the best of its kind where “Sceptre of the Ancients” was more traditionally-centered death metal riffing in the tech vein.

On “Symbols…”, Psycroptic had undoubtedly found the sound for them. Joe Haley’s blend of legato, furious tremolo and tech-precision picking combined with brother Dave’s versatile drumming, a mixture of definition, energy, rhythmic sturdiness, intricacy and intent; with the upgrade in complexity came a sleek production quite the trend set by Necrophagist and adopted by bands like The Faceless and Abysmal Dawn, but Psycroptic maintain the aggressive edge of their roots meaning this doesn’t sound at all like the regular ilk.

With “Sceptre of the Ancients” being quite the airy side to it all things production despite a more traditional death metal slant, “Symbols…” is more bass-heavy (Cameron Grant doesn’t write any of the music and often just follows suit) as well as, for music of such an hostile bent, insanely catchy. If you can get your head around the absurd number of rhythms being thrown at you, then there aren’t many albums as rewarding as this in terms of memorability, groove, and just how rousing.

One complaint many have had with “Symbols of Failure” is Chalky’s replacement Jason Pepiatt. The man is fundamentally a smoother, less resourceful vocalist, capable of mixing all the grunts, growls, shrieks, burps and gutturals of his predecessor omitting a few styles and with less panache. The problem is that he nearly never stops singing; for me it’s not an issue, but to many it is a complete detriment to an album brimming with quality.

Finally, I can’t quite get into “Repairing the Dimensional Cluster” purely because of the standard set by the eight tracks surrounding it. The main riff doesn’t tickle my funny bits, and it’s only to be twisted around and played almost backwards later on down the track; the breakdown is pretty nifty though.

Conclusion is the best of what it is with the exception of Spawn of Possession’s “Noctambulant” and maybe Necrophagist’s “Epitaph” (and of course “Sceptre of the Ancients” if I’m to be a touch more general in my definition of the sub-genre) – all three records are essential, providing second to none musicianship without the over-indulgence that has plagued recent additions to the scene.

9,5

Information
Released: 2006
Label: Neurotic Records
Website: Psycroptic MySpace
Band
Joe Haley: guitars
David Haley: drums
Jason Peppiatt: vocals
Cameron Grant: bass

Tracklist
01. Alpha Breed
02. Missionaries of a Future to Come
03. Merchants of Deceit
04. Minions: The Fallen
05. Repairing the Dimensional Cluster
06. Epoch of the Gods
07. Our Evolutionary Architecture
08. An Experiment in Transience
09. Cleansing a Misguided Path

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