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Psycroptic are arguably Australia’s greatest extreme metal act. The Tasmanian’s are renowned worldwide for their unique brand of technical death metal. Psycroptic’s 7^th album As The Kingdom Drowns is due for release on November 9, 2018 via Prosthetic Records. The album is a ripper and sees the band find an unparalleled balance between scull crushing grooves and out-and-out technicality.

I remember the first time I heard a Psycroptic track. The speed of Dave Haley’s drumming seemed beyond the realms of what should be humanly possible, and Joe Haley’s riffs were catchy, yet complex and ultra-precise.  You could argue that Psycroptic in 2018 are far more focused on writing coherent songs in comparison to directions taken in years gone past (2006’s Symbols of Failure being the other extreme) but 15 years later the  hallmarks of their sound still shine through.

We Were the Keepers kicks off the album in truly epic style. The band have released a number of tracks ahead of the formal release date  and We Were the Keepers was the first track cab of the rank. I can certainly understand why this is the case too – It’s an absolute face melter and it has a really melodic, memorable chorus which features clean choir vocals and layered synths – a first for Psycroptic, but a refreshing change up to their trademark style.

Frozen Gaze is more of a traditional Psycroptic track which wouldn’t feel out of place on Observant or The Inherited Repression – it’s a fast track which has plenty of memorable riffs and moments of jaw dropping shred. Directive follows in a more mid paced manner, but still contains plenty of the speed and technicality which has served Psycroptic well over the previous 6 albums. It’s easy to get lost in what the Haley brothers are doing on each track, but Jason Peppiatt’s vocals and Todd Stern’s bass work are both top notch too.  3 tracks into the new album  and I can’t wipe the smile of my face, this is some really satisfying heavy music.

Deadlands has some elements which remind me of a more traditional speed metal/thrash track, but it still has a distinctive Psycroptic flavour. Joe Haley is given a rare solo spot on this track and it’s an absolute face melter – certainly some shades of Steve Morse and Allan Holdsworth in the fusion inspired shred. God Damn! Joe Haley is well respected in extreme metal circles but this album should raise his profile beyond the niche of tech death.

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The title track As The Kingdom Drowns and Beyond the Black are somewhat in keeping with the opening track We Were the Keepers. Yet again on these tracks the band have employed synths and choral elements which creates a fairly fresh vibe to the overall sound. As the Kingdom Drowns in particular has some really great finger twisting riffs.  These new elements are far from a complete change of style though, so fans of Psycroptic’s recent works will still find the new album to be comfortingly familiar, yet refreshing. 

Upon These Stones  is a welcome change of pace at this stage of the release –an eeire mellow jam builds slowly into a mid-paced monster with a drum interlude and plenty of razor tight riffing. It’s a little more atmospheric than the typical flat out Psycroptic track and I enjoy it a lot.

Momentum of the Void is another well put together track which wouldn’t feel out of place on any of the bands later releases – after 7 releases its abundantly clear that Psycroptic have a signature sound, and Joe Haley’s licks are entirely his own. If anyone wanted to listen to a track to get an appreciation of what Psycroptic do, Momentum of the Void would be a good start. You Belong Here, Below  closes out the album with perhaps the grooviest track on the release. That main riff will induce an involuntary head nod in even the most staunch fan.

As The Kingdom Drowns is a fantastic release. On reflection Psycroptic have created arguably the most accessible tech death album that you will hear in 2018. Unlike some of the tech death that gets released I today’s day and age, this album doesn’t require you to be a musician to ‘get’ it. These songs aren’t just the members showing off how fast they can blast or shred – they’re well-constructed death metal songs which happen to contain some of the most technical playing on the planet. Whilst I’ll always hold 2003’s master work The Sceptre of the Ancients in a league above most, As The Kingdom Drowns is a really great album and arguably my favourite Psycroptic release since 2008’s Ob(Servant) and a lock for the best 10 albums released this year.

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AMNPLIFY – DB