Review Summary: Don't you love when prog metal is done correctly? Psychonaut delivers yet again.
The relationship that I have with prog metal is complicated. Sometimes the cheese is just too extreme and sometimes it's just the right amount. Bands like Opeth and Insomnium, among others, are right in my wheelhouse, opting for a more sinister extreme metal approach to their brand of prog-influenced metal. Other bands like Leprous and Dream Theater sacrifice good songwriting (in my opinion) for exaggerated theatrics and a more “rock opera” style of prog that just doesn't jive with me. And finally, some bands decide to take semi-cheesy prog riffage and synths and mix them with aquatic post-metal atmospheres a la The Ocean and/or ISIS. That's exactly where the Belgian band Psychonaut lies and their new album,
World Maker, is…..a bit of a mixed bag, but an overall efficient blend of post and prog metal.
What they've done here that makes it an improvement over the previous album,
Violate Consensus Reality, is added in some extremely tranquil post-rock parts throughout. The title track opens the album with a calmness and atmospheric build-up that acts as the calm before the storm and a partner to the heavier parts. ‘Endless Currents’ opens up with a djent-esque riff that transitions into humming bass lines that sound stoner in nature as the mixture of Thomas’ and Stefan's angelic vocals leave a jaw-dropping mark on the track. Whereas the previous album was more sludge influenced,
World Maker draws way more from the post-rock side of the spectrum. The atmospheric climaxes on this album are the best part of the entire thing.
‘You Are the Sky…’ is one of the heaviest tracks on the album with riffage that sounds like it's being conjured from below sea level, but it also has a tribal ambient influence with chanting female vocals and rhythmic drumming that sounds like a call to their ancestors from hundreds of years ago. ‘...Everything Else is Just the Weather…’ follows and acts as a sister song to the previous track, focusing more on an ethereal prog rock vibes that make you want to go outside and watch the leaves fall around you. The heaviness continues on ‘And You Came With Searing Light’ with calming yet deafening riffage and a mix of harsh and clean vocals, almost as if good is fighting evil.
My biggest issue with
World Maker is that after a while, a lot of this starts to blend together. The execution is top-notch, but there isn't much in terms of variety. Each and every track kind of follows the path of the one before it, with the heavy/soft tradeoff between mountainous post-metal and more serenely atmospheric prog metal/rock. The post-rock influence does bring a herculean sense of ambience, but I would've liked to see a bit more of a progression from the previous album. Then again, a beast of a track like the instrumental, ‘Origins’, really makes much of the disappointment go away. It starts off with a gorgeous, cloudy ambience before transitioning into some of the heaviest, headbangable riffage on the album.
With all of that being said,
World Maker really is a damn good post/prog metal album, and all things considered, the monotony of not switching styles doesn't hurt the album too bad. Sure, it's not much of a progression at all, but the riffs are tight, the vocals are fantastic and the atmosphere is warmly desolate. When it comes to prog, I'd much prefer something along these lines than all the over-the-top goofiness of other bands in the genre.
