Review - Psychonaut 75

[Arkady]

Who: Psychonaut 75
What: Sounderkommando Promo
Where: http://www.psychonaut75.com

Hello boys and girls. I just though I would take a moment to give you my impression of Texas based atmospheric-industrial band, Psychonaut 75. The Sounderkommando Promo I received in the mail had 2 mixes of the song Sounderkommando as well as two mixes of the song Crashed Down. On first impression, listening to Psychonaut 75 is like having your brain put in the equivalent of an audio vice with a mad man ever so slowly turning the crank. You don’t so much groove to it as become subjected by it. Remember how The Electric Hellfire Club’s “Where Violence is Golden” sounded? If you do, then multiply that times ten.

Their website, http://www.psychonaut75.com relays that they are “Inspired musically by the German-industrial-electro bands of the 80's and 90's, with the ritual music ambience of the late 80's.” It also goes on to state that “Conceptually the Dark side of various cultures and the Left Hand Path practice of the members of Psychonaut 75 influence the music and concepts of the band, blending intense and sometimes horrifying confrontational images in both sound and visual art. Topics as vampirism, lycanthropy, dark witchcraft, Goetic Sorcery and various forms and practice of Magick and Luciferian Witchcraft influence the creative role of the band.”

What’s impressive to me is that while their music swims with layered demonic imagery, edgy synth stabs, and super processed vocals, it successfully remains much closer to art than camp. Psychonaut 75’s music is definitely not the generic EBM fare that many labels are so happy to distribute these days. That being said, I would venture to guess that for some, Psychonaut is going to be at the very least, an acquired taste while others are going to get off on it right away. Either way, it’s my opinion that you should take a moment to go to their website’s download section and take a listen.

- Arkady