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PSYCHOMANCER
Inject The Worms EP

Orchestrated Misery Recordings (2015)
Rating: 7.5/10

I think this album has to be put up for the “worst album cover of the year” title, but thankfully the musical contained within is more serious.

Psychomancer is a brutal death metal combo out of Indiana, which formed in 1997. Since their birth, the four-piece has rattled out two full-length chunks – (si-ko-man-sur) (2001) and Butchered (2007) – and so it’s been some time since any activity from the posse, mainly due to splitting in 2011 and reforming two years later. The current line-up features vocalist / bassist Duston Bullard, lead axeman Curtis “Wonka” Hutchison, rhythm guitarist Brad “Bravis” Heidorn and drummer Corey “Pickles” Blackstad.

For me, the late 90s death metal scene rarely impressed me. Since then, too many bands have incorporated an almost glossy feel to their dynamics, rendering their sound bereft of that old school fustiness and bogged down by horrendous drum clicks. However, Psychomancer are so brutal by their moulding that they don’t have time for any gimmicks.

This is very much a racket which exists at the extreme end of death metal nastiness, the quartet injecting some truly weighty riffage and mixing it devilishly with bursts of rampant pace. As one would expect from such a troupe, the vocals are extremely guttural, but they worm their way nicely between those deep, brooding segments where Blackstad’s drums hammer relentlessly. Even so, Psychomancer is at its best with those slower, menacing passages which then gradually build into hastier retreats.

Opener ‘In Shackles Insane’ pretty much sums up the Psychomancer sound, hinting at old school aesthetics and then adding grindier excerpts of bruising angst. The way the riffs roll is extremely impressive, giving the whole record a strong catchy feel. The end result is a satisfying blend of older school styles, the likes of Grave somehow being mashed with Cannibal Corpse as well as that strong Floridian nuance. One can also expect sprigs of Autopsy; particularly with the closing strains of ‘In Shackles Insane’, while ‘Just Another Victim’ again rises out from a lumbering riff and nodding drum tandem.

Of course, when the band lurches into a fully frantic speed-blast, the whole cacophony becomes an entangled mess of growling vocal barks, flailing blast-beats and epileptic drum seizures. Overall though, there’s nothing overtly complex about this foray into hostile death metal expression. The catchy riffs always bring the opus back into accessible terrain, but there’s less thrash this time round as was experienced with the sophomore opus. Then again, that was a long, long time ago.

So, now we get the ominous strains of the simmering ‘Inject The Worms’, which features a nice melody initially and then a deep, churning thrash riff plagued by Bullard’s frothing vocal attack. ‘Bastards Burn’ is a short and sweet battering ram featuring another catchy lead weight riff, but the true monster of the opus is ‘Abhorrent Wings Of Decay’ with its acoustic intro and then burst of grating arrogance, which even hints at a blackened death metal style of ear-slaying. But whatever you choose on this six-track opus you know you’re in for a high bout of turbulence, all rounded off with the pummelling ‘Chant Of The War Demons’.

The final opinion is that this is a record that somehow nods towards the thrashier, violent episodes of Slayer but injects it with a fat dose of beefy death metal topped off by the rancid coughs of the frontman. Although not reliant on complex structures, Psychomancer’s latest is a solid death metal release for fans of most of the classic bands within the field.

Neil Arnold

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