It’s a sad fact that the music industry is now filled to the brim with countless bands that all sound the same, so naturally a lot of musicians and bands try their best to stand out from the crowd by doing something ‘out there’ with their music. More often than not, it winds up being absolutely terrible, but with Psyclon Nine, this really isn’t the case.
I’m not even sure what genre they play, as it just seems to be a cacophony of different genres blended into one unholy mixture of noise, but whatever it is, it works and Order Of The Shadow: Act I is an extremely refreshing and unique release as a result.
It almost feels like one continuous song that explores many different ideas and sounds, as the tracks seem to blend seamlessly into one another, and something that really stands out is the driving beat on the drums throughout that’s backed up with the industrial-style guitars and synth – a particularly good example of this is in sixth track Afferte Mihi Mortem, which features some foot-tappingly strong beats you can’t help but move about to!
Use Once And Destroy is a particular highlight and after a listen or two, it’ll be stuck in your head and the off-beat synth “noises” are amazing – I can only imagine how awesome this track would come across live, and the vocals on this one really stand out as well; it’s a well-rounded track and one you’ll find yourself keeping on coming back to.
Admittedly this album does require a bit of an acquired taste to it, and it’s likely there will be some people out there who will hate it. But for those who like their music to have a bit of noise and individuality to it, you can’t go wrong.
8/10
