Psyopus
| Psyopus | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | Mathcore · Jazzcore |
| founding | 2002 |
| Website | http://www.myspace.com/psyopus |
| Current occupation | |
singing |
Brian Woodruff |
| Jason Bauers | |
| Brian Kelly | |
| Christopher Arp | |
| former members | |
bass |
Fred DeCoste (2002-2007) |
singing |
Adam Frappolli (2002-2007) |
Drums |
Greg Herman (2002-2004) |
Drums |
Lee Fisher (2004-2005) |
Drums |
Corey Barnes (2005-2006) |
Drums |
Jon Cole (2006-2007) |
singing |
Harrison Christie (2007-2008) |
bass |
Michael Horn (2007-2009) |
singing |
Matt Dalberth (2008) |
bass |
Travis Morgan (2009) |
Psyopus (alternative spelling PsyOpus) is a mathcore band from Rochester , USA . Their music combines stylistic elements of the genres Grindcore , Technical Death Metal , Progressive Rock and Free Jazz and is characterized by extreme speed, frequent breaks and tempo changes, dissonant intervals and highly complicated song structures. Catchy melodies and hooklinesare, however, rare. The singing includes roared and screeched, but also spoken passages. The virtuosity and technical skills of the instrumentalists are characteristic of the band. This is especially true for the guitarist Christopher Arp ("Arpmandude"), who is the only remaining founding member and to this day writes almost all of the band's compositions alone.
history
Psyopus emerged from Arp's one-man project “Stranglefuck”. A demo was recorded under this name in 2002, which contains instrumental versions (guitar, drum computer) of 4 pieces (Anomaly, Death, I ..., Bones To Dust, The Long Road To The Fourth Dimension), which were later featured on the first Psyopus album " Ideas Of Reference ”appeared. In autumn of that year the band was actually founded and renamed Psyopus. In addition to Christopher Arp, the line-up consisted of bassist Fred DeCoste, Greg Herman on drums and singer Adam Frappolli.
The formation brought out another demo ("3003") in 2003 and eventually got a contract with Metal Blade . The first studio album was released in March 2004 and was very controversial. While some critics emphasized the musicians' technical adeptness and made comparisons with genre greats such as The Dillinger Escape Plan , other reviews attested the band's inaccessibility and eccentricity and criticized the quality of the songwriting. In the summer of 2004, Psyopus toured the United States to promote the album.
After the tour, Herman left the band, allegedly because he didn't like the touring stress and wanted to spend more time with his wife. In the following years there were repeated changes to the line-up on the drums. Lee Fisher and Corey Barnes were each replaced after a short period of time, both of whom were said to have problem drug use.
In 2007 the second album "Our Puzzling Encounters Considered" was released. Only Christopher Arp and Adam Frappolli were left of the original line-up. After the album was released, the following changes were made: Jason Bauers replaced Jon Cole on drums, Harrison Christie took over vocals and Michael Horn took over bass. Compared to the debut album, the complexity of the compositions and arrangements has been increased again. This is primarily due to the artistry and versatility of Bauers' drumming. The instrumental piece Siobhan's Song, which is dominated by acoustic and undistorted guitars, is out of the ordinary.
In the following years the line-up remained comparatively stable. There were only changes in the position of the singer. So Christie was initially replaced by Brian Woodruff, who in turn was in the meantime represented by Matt Dalberth. In 2009 the third studio album "Odd Senses" was released.
this and that
In 2001 Christopher Arp took part in the nationwide competition for the vacant guitarist position at Limp Bizkit . At the time, he was working in a plastics processing factory and primarily participated at the insistence of his colleagues. He won the local competition in Rochester and was awarded a guitar. However, Fred Dust did not contact him.
Arp applied for sponsorship contracts with various manufacturers of guitars and amplifiers. The Ibanez company only signed such a contract with him when he was able to prove via video that he was really able to play that fast.
Discography
Demos
- Stranglefuck (5-song demo, Independent, 2002)
- 3003 (4-song demo, Independent, 2003)
Albums
- Ideas Of Reference , (Metal Blade, 2004)
- Our Puzzling Encounters Considered (Metal Blade, 2007)
- Odd Senses (Metal Blade, 2009)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Psyopus - Ideas of Reference Review. In: http://www.sputnikmusic.com . January 14, 2005, accessed June 15, 2009 : "Though some sections sound like Dillinger Escape Plan or Converge, and still others can be routed to Between The Buried And Me or perhaps even Slint, this band has a definitive style . On tracks like "Imogen's Puzzle" and "Death, I", the almost classical-sounding guitar lines are immediately noticeable. Jazzy, staccato note sequences almost evoke video game or MIDI comparisons, but it is most definitely a simple clean guitar, which really speaks for the raw style portrayed by Arp. "
- ^ Psyopus - Ideas Of Reference. In: http://www.metalstorm.ee . January 17, 2006, accessed on June 15, 2009 (English): “So, the album is fairly technical and it has one of the most incredible songs I've heard ever […], but that's it, that song is the only highlight this album has, so download that second track and you'll be fixed up totally (the riff is very catchy and to be honest, it's mind-boggling). The entire album is just a numbing repetition of riffs and chord progressions, you won't get more stuff [...] "
- ↑ a b Psyopus - Trivia. In: http://www.metalstorm.ee . Retrieved June 15, 2009 .
- ^ Wade Coggeshall: Reprinted Interview with Arpmandude from Psyopus. (No longer available online.) In: AusGrind: Daily Grindcore News, Downloads, Reviews and Gigs. October 24, 2007, archived from the original on August 31, 2012 ; accessed on June 15, 2009 (English): “It was a guitar contest. If Limp Bizkit wasn't there, they'd videotape the competition…. That's all that happened. I won a contest and got a guitar. I never heard from them. “ Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
