One of Australia’s technical death metal exports have returned with one blistering album in the form of “As The Kingdom Drowns” and as expected it kicks off at a break neck speed with the track “We Were The Keepers“, bearing in mind that this band have been around since 1999 so it’s an absolute credit to them in terms of sheer power and ferocity.
Next up is the track “Frozen Gaze“, best described as a thrash inspired number with tech leanings. Fast forward a few tracks and the breaks are applied slightly in the form of “Upon These Stones” with a master class in fretboard trickery and Dave Haley on drums, unsurpassed in terms of absolute power and dexterity. “Momentum Of The Void” continues and is a jaggered, razor sharp tour de force that absolutely commands your attention.
Now at this point I usually write something along the lines of “these guys could take on some of the best bands etc..” but let’s face it, they’ve been doing exactly that for years and don’t look like even remotely slowing down. Psycroptic are a band that just get better with every album and this is no exception, for me personally it’s edging closer and closer to my top ten albums for 2018.
As a side note this album may require a few spins to truly absorb what is before you, however once the endless stream of hooks and blast beats have you this becomes like an “ear worm”. You’ll just keep going for more and more and with each rotation you’ll find something else exciting and interesting to latch onto. Bottom line, run, don’t walk and grab this album, you’ll thank me. Or an even better idea, go and catch them live. I for one can’t wait to see how this translates on the big stage!
TRACKLIST
1. We Were The Keepers
2. Frozen Gaze
3. Directive
4. Deadlands
5. As The Kingdom Drowns
6. Beyond The Black
7. Upon These Stones
8. Momentum Of The Void
9. You Belo
