Psycroptic – “Ob(servant)”

On offer here is a crunchy death metal that shows a need to form a tension of unique intensity; which Psycroptic do so with great aplomb. Psycroptic are capable of elevating their moments into all sorts of controlled chaos that greatly shows the bands’ high quality abilities. They are capable of throwing a good deal of insanity at the listener all of which renders them a fun act to follow. Their band is held in place by solid performances, especially at the drum kit, with a superb player, David Haley, holding things in place quite efficiently as he pummels a strong background beat. The backbone being formed is key here because everything thereafter needs to be (and is) meticulously layered.

The band sound like a tightly knit unit as they perform their brand of pounding death metal and in the process, greatly overtake many other bands within the genre. I think the pacing of the album is quite good as well, with a mid-pace compared to much death metal it seems to suit the band perfectly. They tend to keep things in good order for the majority of the release as we can see tightness taken to the next degree in terms of their playing. We can see a great use of maintaining a good speed throughout the release as they keep things paced perfectly. The only issues I have with the album is that it seems to lack a certain something special that might help it rise into greater territories within the metal genre.

There is certainly a fairly determined approach to what the band has to offer, however, it just doesn’t reach out into unknown areas often enough. “Slaves of Nil” is a standout cut on the album with its use of fast drumming. One would expect a more extravagant showcase from the band than, but this isn’t necessarily a negative point as they are able to bring together more than is necessary. Quite a strong album can be obtained in the form of Ob(servant).  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Ob(Servant) 03:23
02. A Calculated Effort 06:30
03. Slaves Of Nil 06:01
04. The Shifting Equilibrium 04:27
05. Removing The Common Bond 06:00
06. Horde in Devolution 05:21
07. Blood Stained Lineage 04:54
08. Immortal Army Of One 05:11
09. Initiate 08:00

Run Time: 49:47
Release Date: 10.14.2008