### Psycroptic: Ob(servant)

#### 03/10/08 || The Duff

Psycroptic is one of four bands leading the new-wave of technical death metal; “Scepter…” is one of the finest metal albums released in the past ten years, and although “Symbols of Failure” didn’t match said album’s classic status, it was a technical outpouring unlike anything experienced previously from the band. Some criticized it for being overly-technical, and possibly even sterile, reasons for which it took me so long to get into, especially when considering it was quite a departure from the grandness and catchy riffing of “Scepter…”; still, in time, I found that it could indeed warrant claims of being the best album the band had delivered, so the follow-up, “Ob(servant)” clearly has a lot to live up to in my eyes – basically, following up on two of the best tech death albums I’ve ever heard.

If you’re unfamiliar with this band’s past offerings, you basically get intense, rapid-fire riffs with strict alternate picking interlaced with slow groove and legato/fluid runs that give the frenetic energy some room to breathe, something which Psycroptic truly excels at. The band has mentioned that this disc is a simplified version of “Symbols…” with some older band qualities combined with fresher elements, and although I’m likely to agree overall, the new directions in which the band is moving appear to be simply bland moments of what we’ve already experienced; purely less stimulating when taking into account the complex brilliance of the regular Psycroptic formula. Overall, because Joe Haley has written 100% of the material, this is the most complete album flow-wise from track to track, so the simple riffs do have a place, in a way, but at the same time, it’s as if the guy got a little carried away with unusual chug-riffs/chords that don’t really go anywhere, or simply interrupt the album’s otherwise sturdy structure – a perfect example being at the three and a half minute mark of “A Calculated Effort”, a track which I feel could have been cut down due to a riff that could well be interesting from a player’s standpoint, but isn’t all too enthralling in the long run.

The novel introductions that work to the band’s favour include some moody, reverb-heavy playing of chords that essentially create the somewhat deceptively lengthy tracks, much like on Ulcerate’s “Of Fracture and Failure” – still a nice touch; occasionally, the band reverts to the more full-on “Scepter…” sound, which fits in successfully, and also integrates a couple of unusual scales, even by Psycroptic’s standards. Joe is writing material venturing around the bottom three strings of his guitar more than ever before, something that makes this one of Psycroptic’s most ambitious, rewarding albums when combined with the layering of the tracks – “Ob(servant)” has far more of a dual-guitar approach than on past albums (where Joe would focus on writing something that could be transferred well to a live setting), giving the band a fuller, more fitting sound; some of the melodies wouldn’t sound amiss coming from bands like Spawn of Possession and Necrophagist.

The skills are as always top notch. Joe Haley’s picking begs disbelief, and yet his skills, as per usual, are over-shadowed by brother Dave Haley’s drumming; the guy seems to have toned himself down a little, but then there are sections where he comes flying out at the listener in the space of a heartbeat and your left thinking what the fuck just happened. A great improvement are Jason Peppiatt’s vocals; I was getting tired of complaints that he wasn’t up to Chalky’s standard, considering the latter is one of metal’s finest vocalists, as on “Symbols…”, he clearly tried to satisfy old fans of the band by emulating many of Chalky’s styles while still adding his own stamp to the album, something I reckon he did commendably. On “Ob(servant)”, he’s pretty much gone entirely with his own vocal variations, ranging from guttural to light-and-haunting, and very distressed – great sounding, my one complaint being that I wish he’d go with less reverb and more of a natural attack, as the guy clearly has talent. The production is all fine, much like “Symbols…”, although the twin-guitar layers should dispel accusations of a sterile sound; this is definitely livelier than “Symbols of Failure”, and you can even (really) hear the bass.

Bands like Necrophagist and Spawn of Possession have attained legendary status releasing but two albums. For me, Psycroptic were much like Anata, in that I was awaiting the third consecutive flawless album to bump them up to such a listing. With “Ob(servant)”, the band hasn’t really bowled me over, but at the same time, they’re far from having disappointed me – they’ve attained a status shared only by the best bands technical death metal has to offer, yet it’s all just a little too comfortable on “Ob(servant)”. A more spacious album than its two immediate predecessors, even if the track-lengths might indicate otherwise, the band still hasn’t let up on a technical front, and there are some moments which outshine even its classic phase, but the tepid sections (few though they are) as well as the feeling that the majority of the album’s greatness comes from the band’s strengths already experienced on earlier efforts, makes this fall shy of a great score (I know it’ll achieve it once I get the full package with the sex-artwork, though; hehe).

8 sound developments of a great band out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Nuclear Blast Records
- Website: www.psycroptic.com
- Band
- Jason Peppiatt: vocals
- Joe Haley: guitars
- Cameron Grant: bass
- Dave Haley: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Ob(servant)
- 02. A calculated effort
- 03. Slaves of nihil
- 04. The shifting equilibrium
- 05. Removing the common good
- 06. Horde in devolution
- 07. Blood stained lineage
- 08. Immortal army of one
- 09. Initiate