There once was a time in which artists from across the mystic seas strove to pay tribute to the mythical tales of old through a little niche genre of music affectionately referred to as ‘metal’.
In any given moment, a metal tune could bestow upon you a ferocious riff, generously layered bass drums and vocalists spinning tales of wizards, dragons and, inevitably, death. Whilst these apparitions of darkness have taken many forms over the years, from Sabbath to Slayer, one ultimatum remains intact: the heavier, the better.
Psychic Sun beat on your eardrums with an iron hammer in their new single Gravedigger. From their latest LP, the single screams like heavy metal of old.
Enter fuzz lords, Psychic Sun (not to be confused with the best psychic in Sydney) who, while dabbling with a myriad of genres under the gargantuan rock umbrella, hath stumbled gloriously upon homage to these generational heroes in the form of their new single, Gravedigger. Ripped, dripping in blood from their upcoming LP, Death Rattle (due out March 18th), the single proudly wears the obsession with death that often wriggles beneath the skin of creative souls.
Put simply, Gravedigger is brutal but not unbearable; while the track is muddy guitar chaos, it bears the stamps of melodic thoughtfulness and creative restraint thus drawing comparisons to other modernized metal marauders in the vein of psych-metal legends, Dead Meadow or even the stoner-rock of Sleep.
In it’s bleak lyrics, Gravedigger screams early Black Sabbath, musing on a sinister figure, the songs namesake, and his dark dealings. The Wollongong based five-piece wail pitch-black finesse in their new track, their riffs pounding on your eardrums like a lead hammer. Despite references to heavy rock idols of old, Psychic Sun manage to wholeheartedly burn their names into the genre with a sound that defies stereotypes whilst honoring those who created them.
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With a long history of pushing both their own musical boundaries and those set by said God of rock, Psychic Sun only seem to accelerate into heavier, dirtier and more interesting territory. With such a wide-ranging sound, the band will no doubt wrangle a whole new clique to add to their growing collection of fans with each release and Gravedigger is no exception.
With their previous cut from the forthcoming LP entitled Am I Here? Covering more modernized garage rock territory whilst maintaining the bands signature deep fuzz and low vocal drawls, us listeners are left wondering if there’s any rock music stone that Psychic Sun will leave unturned.
Guitar tones aplenty, pounding drums, dark mysticism, what’s not to love? If Gravedigger is anything to go by, Psychic sun have some utter cluster bombs to release upon the world in upcoming releases. Best stay tuned!
Gravedigger is available as part of the band’s upcoming album, Death Rattle.
