Psychonaut World Maker [2xLP]

Description

World Maker by Psychonaut on vinyl. This is a Pelagic Records release. Available in two editions.

A record born of insurmountable joy and simultaneous profound loss;World Makermarks a time of great change for Psychonaut, both personally and musically, as the band burn away the philosophical narrative complexities of previous offerings with a searing, panoramic clarity that implores us to savour the beauty of the now as a means of leaving a legacy for the future.

BIO

The traditional, three-piece line up of Belgian, psychedelic post-metal collectivePsychonauthas long belied the compositional prowess, captivating narrative depth and crushing live presence of a band now operating at the forefront of forward-thinking, contemporary heavy music.

Having sent a shockwave through the post-metal and prog scenes with their three times repressedPelagic RecordsdebutUnfold The God Manin 2020 before following it up with the transformative metaphysical complexities of 2022sViolate Consensus Reality, Psychonaut have played prestigious Belgian open-air festivals like Alcatraz, Rock Herk and Boomtown Festival as well as boutique events such as Soulcrusher, Roadburn Redux and A Colossal Weekend whilst sharing stages across Europe with the likes of Amenra, Brutus and Pelagic labelmates The Ocean and PG.Lost.

The seed ofWorld Makertook shape just as the campaign forViolate Consensus Realitycame to a close, with the news that guitarist/vocalistStefan De Graefwas to become a father. This tilting of lifes axis led De Graef, like most fathers-to-be, to re-assess what was really important. As such, the music he was inspired to write felt free of the bands previous philosophical and spiritual foundations and instead took the form of life lessons for his unborn son, a legacy of love in case something were ever to happen.

This hopeful euphoria shines keenly throughoutWorld Makeras an uncharacteristically optimistic warmth; from the reverberating Rhodes organ on the titular opening track and the meandering, free-jazz inspired guitar solo that introduces Everything Else is Just The Weather to elements of world music, electronica and the otherworldly voice of Dutch multi-instrumentalist and old friendAnthe Huybrechts(Anthe/Helion Creek) most notably on tracks like Origins which also features tabla, a pair of indian hand drums, as its propulsive heartbeat.

Whilst Psychonauts giant riffs, punishing polyrhythms and guttural vocal rage are more resplendent than ever, there is a wider dynamic spectrum toWorld Makerthat sees the band proudly exploring their more delicate, intimate extremes as well as their most aggressive and abrasive. Not long after the birth of De Graefs son came the devastating news that both his own father and Psychonaut bassist/vocalistThomas Michiels father had been diagnosed with advanced cancers. Living day-to-day and torn between joy and grief, the band found themselves shedding the grand scope and world-shattering agenda ofViolate Consensus Realityto focus on the here and now.

Lead single Endless Currents, the first full track on the album, explodes in a barrage of staccato guitar tapping but mellows to let the powerful, newly pared back lyrics ring out as a call to embrace the flow and follow joy. The songs final few words Lead the way. / Soar. / Everlong. double as both a greeting and a goodbye as the trio build their formidable post-metal might to a thunderous breaking point. Similarly, the pulsing, propellant Stargazer, named so for De Graefs son being born in stargazer position, pairs delicate guitar motifs and folk-inflected optimism with huge and sprawling breakdowns as some of the bands most genre-pushing work to date; asking difficult but important questions of what happens next.

It is And You Came With Searing Light though that most immediately exemplifies Psychonauts redirected ambition onWorld Maker, as euphoria collides with blinding fury. The first track written for the album, Searing Light is easily the most complex and initially wouldnt sound out of place onViolate Consensus Reality. Originally meant to be the new albums opening track; the decision to defer its impact, not to mention its compositional and dynamic gravity, speaks of a fundamental change to the bands very core. The words Discover the world with wide eyes recurring throughout speak as much to those having lost a part of their world as they do to those seeing it for the first time.

Amidst such turbulent times, the band found strength and support within their Post-Metal community. The album was recorded and produced by the band alongside their longtime collaborator and close friend Chiaran Verheyden (Hippotraktor) with help and advice from Psychonauts live engineer Victor, who will no doubt make this album sound just as awesome on stage. Even the artwork forWorld Makerwas a family affair, being designed by close friend Sam Coussens of Belgian cosmic sludge metallersPothamus.

In the face of lifes soaring highs and desolate lows,World Makeris direct and brave without sacrificing any of Psychonauts raw power, creative innovation or inimitable musical depth. Where their previous full-length offerings have charted grand introspective courses through time and space, World Maker is breathtaking in its uncompromising clarity: a father singing to his newborn son as a son bids his own father farewell.