Psycroptic - The Pulse Of Annihilation

Psycroptic have been one of my favourite bands for a long time now. The Tasmanian technical death metal band are arguably the kings of the Australian extreme metal scene, building from their humble beginnings as teenagers in the Island state in the late 1990’s, to the present day, where they can rightfully lay claim to be one of the heavy weights of the technical death metal genre, touring extensively worldwide and now signed to iconic label Metal Blade. Brothers Joe Haley (guitars) and David Haley (drums) have always been integral to the bands sound. With Joe’s ultra precise and technical riffing being supported by the super-human speed and precision drumming of Dave. I particularly love their early discography - The Isle of Disenchantment (2001), The Sceptre of the Ancients (2003), Symbols of Failure (2006), Ob (Servant) (2008) �" during this period the band were clearly experimenting and developing their sound in a way that kept each album fresh and exciting (perhaps having two distinctly different vocalists over this time also helped). Whilst there is a fair bit of stylistic difference between the albums that fall between The Inherited Repression (2012) and Divine Council (2022) it would be fair to say that over this period Psycroptic have developed a ‘signature sound’. In this run of albums, there is a real focus on riffs, rhythmic complexity, aggression and groove. The ‘barking’ style raspy, shouted vocals of Jason Peppiatt are also a hallmark. In recent times Psycroptic have included two vocalists on their studio albums, with Jason Keyser (Origin) also laying down vocals. Keyser often tours with the band in the absence of Peppiatt, so it’s a nice touch to legitimise the arrangement with both vocalists contributing in the studio. Their styles also blend really nicely when layered as they are on this album at times.

I don’t feel like a track by track run through is required here because there are a lot of common themes in my views on The Pulse Of Annihilation, which seems to be a culmination of their late era catalogue and approach. One thing that stands out to me as a long-time fan is that Joe Haley’s riffing and arrangement approach particularly song orientated. I feel like there has been a conscious decision made to create more space for vocals and atmosphere by bringing a handful of less complex, more melodic/progressions or riffs to various sections. These ‘simple’, almost thrash-style riffs, would still be a work out for most mere-mortals, however they stand out as more straight forward within the labyrinth of wrist snappers on the album. Equally as noticeable is the focus on groove and the way the vocals enhance the groove through their rhythmic counterpoint. That’s been a focus for some time now, however it stands out to me on this album - all 9 tracks are out and out ‘head nodders’. There are also plenty familiar elements that stand out as signature Psycroptic approaches - take the acoustic build ups at the start of ‘A Sword of Me’ : this sort of sound palate and intro approach is well embedded in this bands recent approach. Similarly the blazing riffing in ‘Our Pillars Fall’ stand out to be ultra recognisable as Joe Haley, with his rolling- shreddy guita lines zipping up and down between the beat. Since the ‘As the Kingdom Drowns’ album Psycroptic haves added an almost orchestral layering of parts and female vocals from Amy Wiles to certain parts to really lean into the ‘epic’ side of their tracks. They do this with great effect again at various stages on this album.

The 9 track’s on The Pulse Of Annihilation are all really strong. I hold Psycroptic is the highest esteem so I will admit my initial impression was slightly underwhelming due to the ‘familiarity’ of the compositional style, chordal approach and overall sound. However, as I’ve sat with the album and got to know each track more deeply, I’m now very content with the release, and am sure it will go down well with new and old fans alike. 2026 is shaping to be another very strong year for heavy music, and I have no doubt The Pulse Of Annihilation will slice and dice its way onto plenty of year end lists!

PSYCROPTIC:
David Haley - drums
Joe Haley - guitars
Todd Stern - bass
Jason Peppiatt - vocals
Jason Keyser - vocals

Track listing
1. Ashes Of A New Dawn
2. Gathering A Venomous Herd
3. A Sword Of Me
4. No Time For The Weak
5. Our Pillars Fall
6. Annihilation Pulse
7. No Blade Of Grass
8. To Embrace This Curse
9. Forging The Crown

Added: June 30th 2026
Reviewer: Chris Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Psycroptic Online
Hits: 8
Language: english

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