This album is beyond reproach.
Psycroptic's new album is a tremendous triumph. Over the years this band has so clearly cemented themselves in the utmost echelon of the tech-death genre. On "TIR," these Australian bruisers show undeniable discipline and progress. With this mammoth effort, Psycroptic have balanecd their trademark sound elements with a stronger classic heavy-metal presence.
Songs like "Carriers of the Plague," "The Throne of Kings," and "Unmasking the Traitors" demonstrate this precisely. The classic Psycroptic sound you know and love returns in spades: jaggedly sharp guitar tones, mechanized tremolo picking, frenzied speed fretting and twisting serpentine leads. Combined with impassioned vocals, and what I consider to be the best-sounding crash cymbal in metal, these elements form an astonishingly strong album.
Of course I have not even mentioned the sheer mind-melting technicality contained herein. If you've heard Psycroptic before, you know the sky-high bar that has been set by these genre-leaders. Consider it met, to be sure.
The album is tremendously fun to listen to. It's a mix of technical wankery (without the overly-progressive nonsense), and face-smashing, head-banging riffs. Well, actually, within this album, there's less neck-snapping than on Ob(servant), but more straight-up head-banging. You'll see. My only negative comment on this whole album is that some songs tend to lazily drift toward bland, vanilla passages for slightly too long. I am certainly a fan of textured song-writing, but there are (fortunately) just a few moments that cause the listener to zone out and lose focus.
To wrap up, you should definitely get this album. Longtime blogfriends, MetalSucks, recently declared that Psycroptic was indisputably a member of the "Big Four of Tech Death." This is most certainly true. And "TIR" reminds us why. Psycroptic has created a unique sound that is tremendously enjoyable and technically explosive. The band's mastery of the delicate balance between technical shredding and head-stomping riffery comes through with perfect clarity. No small feat in this day and age.
-L U'cut
