MP3: The Psyke Project - Physical romance
The Psyke Project's 2005 album "Daikini" was one of the year's best releases. At ~70 minutes of unrelenting brutality, the only real complaint one could level at it was that it was too long for one sitting. Their new record "Apnea" just came out recently and... it's disappointing. They still possess a potent mix of contemporary metalcore and crushing doom, but the formula has been needlessly tampered with. Instead of purely raw, glass-gargling vocals, there's now bits of clean singing and that horribly clichéd sing-speak thing that so many other metalcore bands seem fond of. Sorry dudes, but that sucks. One of the main reasons that "Daikini" was so awesome is that it had none of that bullshit. You used to be unique, now you're yet another metalcore band in the pack.
On the other hand, there are definitely some powerful bits spread throughout the record. They haven't compromised all of their greatness, they've just buried them a bit. The ending of "Physical romance" with the "I was so scared / I was so terrified" screaming is a fantastic climatic moment. The way that frontman Martin lets his voice break at the end is a perfect capper, too. "Apnea" may not totally floor me as a whole, but it's okay as long as they continue to deliver the punishment every so often.
The Psyke Project - Physical romance