Psychonaut - Unfold the God Man

Angry Metal Guy

I love the color purple. Such a rich palette of hues lie within this particular segment of the spectrum, all of which pair well with an extensive array of complements. Purple can convey royalty, seduction, obliteration, depression, and damn near everything else provided a competent application thereof. Of course, that holds true for most colors, but just seeing purple is more exciting to me than seeing any other color. This brings us to Belgian post-metal trio Psychonaut, whose debut album Unfold the God Man features a gorgeous cover warmly ensconced in my current color of choice. Enamored though I am by the artwork, I must focus my critical eye and ask the important questions. Namely, what happens when I Unfold the God Man?

Answering that question requires some postulations, not the least of which regards content description. The post-metal tag assigned by the band/label seems accurate. Initial spins likened Psychonaut to The Ocean, but with better riffs. Further investigations revealed that a touch of sludgy grime and a thick swirl of psychedelia also permeates through this God Man‘s pores. However, the kaleidoscopic metamorphoses each and every track undergoes is what sets Psychonaut apart from most of their peers. Their particular songwriting fluidity suggests a higher maturity level than a band this young has any right to display on a debut full length.

Opening instrumental “All I Saw as a Huge Monkey”¹ is a bold opening move as it’s six minutes long. It halfway pays off by rippling through fun riffs and oscillating song structures. There begins “The Story of Your Enslavement,” an engrossing tale involving massive licks and acerbic screams which belie my usual expectations of post-metal. Textured cleans join in and bring additional dynamics to the track, and from there the entirety just keeps building. Then, shortly after “The Fall of Consciousness” comes around I start reeling a bit, because a Mastodon fell into The Ocean holding Tools for some reason and released a mind-infecting lead in the process, leaving me totally at Psychonaut‘s mercy. Wave after wave crashes over me and eventually I reach my personal favorites, “Celestial Dictator” and “The Halls of Amenti.” Throat-sung chants coalesce with a sweet didgeridoo lead to kick things off, hypnotizing me so completely that I don’t even see the leviathan gang-bang of riffs approaching. If you have any semblance of a skeletal structure left when it’s said and done then Illuminati fucking confirmed.

There is no question that Psychonaut know their way around the long-form, and in their practice of it formed one of the most dynamic albums of the year thus far. These 70 minutes fly by, and I astound myself with how frequently I want to Unfold the God Man back to back. However, the biggest issue pulling it away from true “great” status is, unsurprisingly, poor self-editing. Part of this can be attributed to the psychedelic tint the trio applies to their brand of post-metal, since psychedelia by definition requires periods of nebulous instrumentation, so long as the result is your mind losing time. But, in some spots here, I only lose myself for so long before I regain awareness and realize that I just missed awakening in a trippy place of inverted colors, cloud puppies and yellow submarines. “Nexus” is a perfect example of this, as are “Sananda” and closer “Nothing is Consciousness.” Each, especially the closer, has many redeeming qualities that keep you guessing—and you will always be wrong. But all of those songs also noodle around for too long somewhere near or in the middle of the track. It’s not enough to fully disrupt immersion, but it is noticeable.

If Psychonaut tightened things up just a little bit more, Unfold the God Man would be in the running for Album o’ the Year. As it stands, the record represents a substantial achievement for a debut held back by too much content. You don’t have to be a fan of post-whatevs to get on board with this, though, and I highly recommend all of you do. I’ll be expecting you.



Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 160 kbps mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: psychonautband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/psychonautband
Releases Worldwide: March 6th, 2020

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