Psyclosarin – Perceptions Of The Damned – Album Review

Source // Psyclosarin - Perceptions of the Damned

Perceptions of the Damned is the debut technical death metal release from Ohio’s Psyclosarin. You know what to expect right? Strenuous guitar acrobatics and an array of monstrous tones erupting from vocalist Kenny Schwer’s throat-space but Psyclosarin are much more than a one-dimensionsal blast beat machine.

In fact, they are the exact opposite and Psyclosarin’s schizophrenic songwriting can actually be jarring at times – too often we heard a brief snippet of an absolutely colossal riff that failed to rear its head again – but that just indicates the sheer number of ideas Psyclosarin are toying with. When they do go for the throat, closing track “Rampage” is particularly vicious, Psyclosarin’s streamlined attack is impossible to escape from, delivering an almighty bludgeoning with an array of devastating weaponery. And so it goes for the majority of Perceptions of the Damned, Psyclosarin proving reliably punishing. 

Fortunately, “Sever The Cord” slows things down a tad, its opening few minutes bringing a progressive edge to proceedings. Somewhat akin to Canadian thrash gods Annihilator lining themselves up for a suitably clinical thrash-fest, Psyclosarin of course explode into molten modern tech-death but kudos to ’em for adding layers to their sound with a relatively faithful metal intro.

Conclusion time! Perceptions of the Damned is technical death metal delivered with some serious clout and Psyclosarin successfully avoid showboating pitfalls, delivering a lean, incredibly heavily album full of promise in the process. 7/10