I was trying to think of some similar bands to this lot from Denmark and after typing Danish Hardcore into Google image and search engine came up blanks. That was admittedly several hours ago and I think I got off track somewhere down the line from the country of beer, bacon and buxom lasses called Bergitte. As far as The Psyke Project are concerned, the group formed back in 2001 and have several albums behind them. They are not strictly hardcore either to be fair but blend together weighty elements of metal, ‘core’, sludge and other dark apocalyptic vibes behind their windy torment.
Opening track ‘Fire Storms’ is not actually the blazing assault I expected but a slow to mid-paced crawler, twisting around and in on itself, threatening to implode whilst tearing roofs off and buildings down in its wake. Vocals are shouted and angry and compliment this and the musicianship. ‘Dead People Never Lie’ has a dexterous and playful feel about it as it constructs rhythmic guitar sinews, spitefully sharp and then dive-bombs into another torrential deluge of aggressive sound. The word ‘Liar’ is yelled out by singer Martin Nielskov and it’s obvious that he is pissed off and taking things personally. Songs are in no hurry to peter out, just like the stormy weather they are thematically linked to.
Groove is evident, the songs here might be complex but guitar and bass are constantly lashing away like rain battering a tin roof, you can almost picture the players with bleeding fingers as they lash away with a chug laden power that seems to know no limits. It’s pretty easy to liken this to the normal players such as Neurosis, Isis and Mastodon and the listener should be quick to get to grips with what is going on here. Unfortunately never having heard them before I cannot compare to previous albums and say how they have evolved but I’m guessing this is not the sound of a band who have mellowed with age.
I can imagine listening to this under dark skies being particularly atmospheric as you wait for the inevitable downpour. Unfortunately as I write this, despite threatening to drench us the UK is in the grip of the hottest period in years and best intentions of songs such as ‘Winter’ seem a million miles away. ‘Dead Storm’ is one of those albums that is bristling in intensity, the few moments that are not actually intense are brooding and this is a perfect ‘bad mood’ album to put on and compliment thoughts of genocide. This is perhaps its downfall as it is not one of those albums I think I would find myself playing unless I was in a particular mindset and to be honest, if I was, there would be quite a few others all clamouring for attention. Also at 52 minutes in length it’s one of those storms that is fun at first but by the midway mark is beginning to piss you off and when it ends you are relieved that you can at last go out, inspect the damage and get some fresh air again.
http://www.thepsykeproject.dk
http://www.myspace.com/thepsykeproject/
