Graham Parker has issued a few concert records over the last half-century, yet it’s been more than a decade since his last stage report saw the light of day. It’s only logical, then, for the veteran to mark the 50th … Continue reading
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Before releasing her debut album Swimming Towards The Sand last fall, Toronto’s Rachel Bobbitt could always be counted on to post some lovely new song to her Bandcamp every few months. Today, she’s done it again. “Where Do You Want To Be?” is an easygoing yet vaguely mournful track that moves at a measured pace.…
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A belated celebration.
The post Gojira’s “From Mars To Sirius” Given New 20th Anniversary Zoetrope Vinyl Release appeared first on Theprp.com.
Snag, DIY screamo warriors from Milwaukee, sound like the world collapsing all around you. Their music feels that way, too. It’s all about the anxiety of living in the end times, expressed with vivid and visceral immediacy. After scrambling around in the underground for many years, Snag have hooked up with the Converge-affiliated label Deathwish,…
The post Snag Announce New Album<em> All The Cages Holding Us Will One Day Turn To Dust</em>: Hear “Debilitated” appeared first on Stereogum.
It might only be May, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be thinking about John Carpenter. Today, the Halloween multihyphenate has announced his first-ever graphic novel Cathedral, which will arrive this August alongside a soundtrack of the same title. He made the album with longtime bandmates Daniel Davies and son Cody Carpenter, and lead single…
The post John Carpenter Announces New Graphic Novel And Soundtrack <em>Cathedral</em>: Hear “Lord Of The Underground” appeared first on Stereogum.
Psyclops—Portland, Oregon’s progressive metal genre-benders—have some nerve coming my way. I know in my heart of hearts that in writing “their” new record, Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr, they committed psychic plagiarism against me and stole the progressive death metal concept album I outlined years ago. A sun-baked Earth struggling to survive? My set-up! A wanderer searching for hope and imbued with religious allusion? My protagonist! A chance encounter with a water deity that brings them to a wellspring of pure, untouched water? More or less my idea! Psyclops just cut out my cannibal gangs and digs against Elon Musk, the hacks. Admittedly, they commissioned a comic book to coincide with Bound to Burn, which I didn’t think of…but very well could’ve!1 I was just waiting to get good at music before recording it, you bastards!2 But in this egregious act of unmitigated gall, does Psyclops’ Bound to Burn rip me off effectively and enjoyably, at least?
Psyclops just make prog look easy on Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr. Taking a page from the Rush playbook, Psyclops play technically demanding and rhythmically dense progressive music in the vein of Between the Buried and Me and Opeth while keeping their songs mostly immediate and accessible. The three-song “Consequences” segue sees Psyclops bouncing between odd, frantic rhythms while sounding as natural as if it were all 4/4, while the “Manifest” trilogy showcases Bound to Burn’s most diverse guitarwork that dazzles without devolving into wankery. “Presence from Beyond” and “Clarity” see awkward vocal intervals and off-kilter riffing, respectively, that make for effortless earworms, and “Begin Anew”‘s guitar arpeggios sound symphonic in a very understated way while rocking out in an uncomplicated fashion. Further, Psyclops swing with some heft with juiced-up, low-end heavy riffing and punchy drums highlighted on the “Indomitable” segue and a crushing death vocal presence established in opener “The Explorer-Errant.” Heavy and catchy, technical and immediate, Bound to Burn is bound to please most any prog fan.
Psyclops’ knack for lean, diverse songwriting brings home the bacon. At thirty-three minutes, Bound to Burn has a story to tell and Psyclops hustle between movements and songs without wasting time on interludes or masturbatory noodling. Crystalline, clean, and plodding doom guitars on “The Explorer-Errant” give way to jagged, Xoth-like riffs and solos on “Consequences I. The Instinct to Survive,” while “Manifest I. Seeing Is Believing” opens the segue with Devin Townsend-like harmonies and progression, only to close out with “Manifest III. The Ouroboros Chorus”‘s Thank You Scientist swinging prog goofiness. The spirit of Mastodon haunts a lot of Bound to Burn as well, particularly in the moody, Crack the Skye-like trippiness of “Presence from Beyond” and the Emperor of Sandesque rock soloing closing out “Manifest II. Warranted Transgression.” Psyclops package all of these influences, moods, and approaches in a way that feels totally cohesive and trimmed of all excess. Bound to Burn is here for a good time, not a long one.
With Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr, Psyclops constructed the Anti-Playlist Album. Singled out, individual tracks on Bound to Burn don’t hold up, bearing truncated runtimes and rarely sounding whole alone. But taken altogether, Psyclop’s singular vision comes through. Bound to Burn establishes character motivation quickly and effectively with “The Explorer-Errant,” conflict soon after with “Consequences II” and “III,” and a call to action with “Clarity” that carries Bound to Burn’s plot smoothly right to the end. “Manifest III” and “Begin Anew” feel somewhat rushed in closing the album, and Psyclops could’ve spent more time in those songs to drive it home, but that’s Bound to Burn’s only pacing hiccup. Song transitions are completely seamless on Bound to Burn; with how natural every movement flows into the next, Psyclops could have designated the whole thing as one song, à la Crimson or Winter’s Gate. Simply, Bound to Burn cannot be appreciated or enjoyed fully without being taken in as a whole, and Psyclops facilitates that fact with perfect narrative flow and sequencing.
Psyclops are on my ever-expanding shit list, not because they stole my album but because they did it better than me. Way better. Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr is an adventurous, refreshing, and forward-thinking work of music and fiction sure to please prog fans of every stripe. Psyclops hit quick, hit hard, and left me wanting more in the end. Bound to Burn isn’t perfect, but there’s very little to complain about either. But the sequel better have some cannibal gangs.3
Rating: Great
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Self-Release
Websites: psyclopsmusic.com | psyclopspdx.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/psyclopspdx
Releases Worldwide: May 22nd, 2026
The post Psyclops – Bound to Burn: Melody of the Martyr Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
This one is real nice. Listen to this one to feel the nice feelings. Play Time is the Hudson Valley-based trio of percussionist Booker Stardrum (SML, Photay, Lisel, Wendy Eisenberg, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma), saxophonist Will Epstein (Nicolás Jaar, Photay, DARKSIDE, Dave Harrington), and synth player Ben Vida (Marina Rosenfeld, YarnWire, Lea Bertucci, Tyondai Braxton). They’re going…
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