© Heretic Sound 2002
PSYPHERIA
Embrace The Mutation
Take your favorite MORBID ANGEL song (for me it would be something off of Altars of Madness since that is the only disc of theirs that I like at all), throw in a hefty amount of the complexity and keyboards of old NOCTURNUS, and you have some idea of what PSYPHERIA sounds like. PSYPHERIA should appeal to fans of Progressive/Technical Death Metal as well as those who like some of the brutal, but not particularly complex, Death Metal bands out there such as MORBID ANGEL and VADER. The best points of comparison that I can come up with are DETACHMENT and old NOCTURNUS, keeping in mind that PSYPHERIA is heavier than both of these bands.As you can tell from my review of PSYPHERIA’s previous work, I am definitely a fan of their somewhat unique style of Progressive Death Metal. Embrace the Mutation is a natural progression from their older material on Gothic Disturbance. The musical approach is similar with its multiple layers of riffage and equally prominent keyboards, but the band has become more brutal. The increased harshness brings to mind the sound of bands like DEEDS OF FLESH and MORBID ANGEL, but PSYPHERIA’s approach is considerably more interesting than the style of those two bands.
On Embrace the Mutation, PSYPHERIA has also become more focused. The songs are a bit less intricate and contain less of the complex craziness that can be found in many of the tunes on Gothic Disturbance. According to John Oster, guitarist and primary writer of music and lyrics for the band, this new approach is "an effort to give a more solid structure to the songs...with so much going on, it gives the uninitiated listener something to hold onto! We run the risk of creating 'riff salads' otherwise!" I completely understand his reasoning, but I have always been partial to riff salads myself. Well, I have been partial to them at least since I got past my Hair Metal phase in the mid-80’s.
One potential downside I have noticed of the more streamlined sound on Embrace the Mutation is that it seems like several of the songs follow a predictable pattern of repeating a segment of music 4 times, moving on to a different segment and repeating that 4 times, and so on. Although the music is quite good, this segmented feel to the music is not as appealing to me as a more fluid and dynamic sound. I am familiar with the concept of 4/4 time, but some of the songs seem more compartmentalized than I would like. However, I want to emphasize that PSYPHERIA’s music is still quite involved, and the band definitely qualifies as progressive in my book.
All eight songs on Embrace the Mutation are quite enjoyable. The last three tracks previously appeared on the band’s Plague’s End EP, but all of them have been significantly improved. The production is better (the wonderful guitar flourishes are much easier to hear), and the musical complexity seems to have increased slightly. My favorite tracks are probably "Insensate" (initially from the EP) and "Systemic Confrontation", which recalls SCHOLOMANCE with its awesome and diverse keyboard playing accompanied by killer drumming and intricate guitar.
As I stated in the beginning of my review, I believe PSYPHERIA will appeal to fans of both Progressive Death Metal such as myself and fans of some of the more straightforward and brutal Death Metal bands such as VADER and DEEDS OF FLESH. That seems like a pretty good position to be in, in my opinion. With the release of Embrace the Mutation, I hope PSYPHERIA comes to attain the status they deserve. Check them out at their homepage
Contributed by John FrankBack To Index
