Psycroptic – The Pulse of Annihilation
Release Date: 17th July 2026
Label: Metal Blade Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Technical Death Metal
FFO: Gorod, Revocation, Beyond Creation, Spawn of Possession, Arsis.
Review By: Aeons Burning
Psycroptic have been around for ages as one of the first technical death metal bands to really explode into worldwide acclaim from Australia with their 2003 sophomore record The Scepter of the Ancients, and ever since then they’ve been quite a singular sounding band, with them electing to perform a more riff-driven style of technical death metal, not unlike Gorod, rather than a solo-and-wank led style of technical death metal. They’ve always been incredibly solid, dependable musicians, and that hasn’t changed on ninth record The Pulse of Annihilation. With them approaching their thirtieth anniversary as a band in just a few short years (my goodness I feel old saying that), it’s nice to know that some things never change because The Pulse of Annihilation is exactly the kind of record you’ve come to expect from Psycroptic: solid, complex riff-heavy technical death metal.
After some bombastic chords to open Ashes of a New Dawn, Psycroptic deliver an all-out assault that doesn’t let up. With their line-up unchanged since 2018’s As the Kingdom Drowns – my personal favorite Psycroptic record – the material on The Pulse of Annihilation stays consistent all throughout. It’s chock-full of riffs, because guitarist Joe Haley is a wizard, and it also brings in a solid amount of groove (A Sword of Me, No Time for the Weak), and even Middle Eastern melodies (Our Pillars Fall, Forging the Crown) alongside the backing vocals of Jason Keyser (Origin) present throughout the album. There’s no real stand-out track here, as all tracks are what I look for in a Psycroptic record, and the whole experience is an easy 40 minutes from start to finish. Psycroptic have largely stayed in a similar sound for the last eight years now, and I appreciate that kind of workmanlike consistency.
However, while this is undeniably a solid slab of death metal, it’s what I’ve heard before, countless times. And while that’s not bad, given that I am a fan of Psycroptic, it does feel like they’re playing it a bit safe on The Pulse of Annihilation, much like on Divine Council, which was released four years ago. That’s not necessarily a negative, though, because when you’re nearly thirty years into your career and still writing ridiculously good songs, you want to keep up that pace. I can recommend The Pulse of Annihilation, and while it won’t smash any top tens this year, I’m perfectly fine with it being a solid, reliable album that is incredibly easy to listen to. And if this is your first experience with Psycroptic, then you’ve quite the discography to dive into, because it’s all worth your while.
(3.5 / 5)
