Taken from SphereMag.co.uk
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Do
you remember when Marilyn Manson scared the hell out of everyone on the
planet in the 90s with heavy beats, scary make-up and a serious
attitude? No, you’ve completely forgotten? Well, that’s okay because in
2009 heavy metal has some new spiteful, venomous and hard-hitting
boogiemen and they are collectively known as Psyclon Nine…
The
opening track on the band’s second album is an atmospheric and dark
introduction to this Industrial-black metal opus. ‘Soulless (The
Maker’s Reflection}’ mixes cold electronics in with menacing voices
before the title track ‘We The Fallen’ bulldozes the senses with
Bellum’s pained screech. His wails are backed by an orchestra of
military-like beats and some un-relenting Industrial elements to incite
a vitriolic and vibrant cornucopia of brutal noise. The next offering,
‘Heartworm’ is our standout and it's a violent and affecting anthem for
the disenchanted and the loveless. This one will have legions chanting
the lyrics at live shows as many will identify with the track’s
personal themes. This one should rival ‘Parasitic’ as a new P9
standout. It will grab you by the hair and tear with biting guitars and
a standout vocal performance. There’s also some fantastic drum work and
the electro part that barge in give it an accessible and bouncy feel.
‘Thy
Serpent Tongue’ will take old-school fans back to the early days of
aggro-tech and pure dark electronica. On this, the Industrial elements
dominate and while the synths will bite and scratch at the synapses (in
the nicest way possible, of course) while the lightening fast blast
beats will inspire you to immediately bang your head and lose your mind
within a bleak and visceral musical amalgamation of black metal and
Industrial. Note the breakdown at around four minutes which sees the
band go into complete overdrive pummelling the senses with frenzied
vocals and stabbing orchestral elements. Meanwhile ‘Bloodwork’ is a
potential mosh-pit anthem. We can’t imagine anything more intense than
getting elbowed in the nose to this tune. Raise the horns high, get
your goggles, boots and fluorescent wears out - it's time to start the
damn riot.
Next up, ‘The Derelict (God Forsaken)’ is an all-out
metallic slam-fest that will satisfy fans of everything from Slayer to
Dawn Of Ashes via Combichrist. This one features Nero’s vocals at their
most violent and hard-hitting. The words run at a thrash-tastic pace
while the drums and guitars create an epic wall of tinnitus-inciting
noise that’s not for the faint-hearted. This track defines Psyclon Nine
in 2009. The band are a musical apocalypse that will grow from out of
many a black-clad teenager’s bedroom and many a frustrated working
man’s desk. Of course this stuff certainly isn’t mainstream but the
band has quite the cult following now and this track will drive the its
supporters to create chaos worldwide. However, on ‘Widowmaker’ the
group can be accused of trying to fit too much into a song and while
this still carries serious impact and a major dose of venom, at times
there is just too much going on.
By contrast, ‘There But For The
Grace Of God’ is a brooding and simple piece that breaks down as
furious guitars barge in along with some hypnotic choir calls and
glitchy electronic tones. Dare we say it? This is the most sensitive
track on the album but it is likely to become a favourite amongst the
die-hard fans because of its intense nature. Similarly, ‘Suicide Note
Lullaby’ strikes at the heart and keeps cutting with sharp guitars and
diverse vocals for a touching and dark ballad that takes the emotion
embedded within Paradise Lost’s work and chucks it in there with a
chainsaw…nice. Things move forward with ‘As One With The Flies’. This
is an atmospheric and creepy track - we’re telling you not to listen to
it alone in the hopes that you do just to see what we mean. Pianos
break the silence along with crushing beats at about one minute and 30
in. It’s evil and it’s sinister…of course you are going to dig it. The
final tune ‘Under The Judas Tree’ will come as a surprise to everyone.
It’s a predominantly acoustic track that features some enchanting and
hypnotic sounds. Here, the band show themselves to be diverse as
musicians and the vocalist Bellum displays his unique range. At times
this comes off as a classic rock tune, though it’s got a little
distortion in there too, alongside a lot of emotion and at around four
minutes, it’s got some really heavy pulsating and chaotic Industrial
metal sounds….which you know, are always welcome here.
This is
probably the darkest and heaviest Industrial record you will hear this
year. You can hear the influence of Godhead’s Jason Miller who was in
the producer’s chair for this and definitely pushed the band to explore
their more metal-orientated influences. There’s definitely a lighter
feel than on previous records but nonetheless Psyclon Nine have created
their best and most satisfying record to-date. Industrial never died it
just needed rewiring, and anyone who thinks that the genre has no life
left will get a big f***ing shock when they hear this music.