Self-released
The Psyatics are a three-piece garage, surf and noise band
from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2012, the current lineup
consists of Rob Bell (bass guitar and vocals), Jack Ball (guitar) and Mark
Baertschi (drums). The band plays a mix of Rock, Punk, Garage, Noise, and Surf
Rock with feeling.
With a glance at the cover, and the titles of the songs, you
can see that they have a fascination for the more overt strangeness that other
bands skip over: monsters, serial killers and B-movies, and for that alone, I
salute them. The band mixes up all the different styles and comes up with a
sound that takes your head and wraps it in craziness and power that should
hurt, but feels like the hot breath of the werewolf breathing on your neck,
scary and raises the hair on your body with excitement. The songs are catchy,
and play with an intensity that is infectious and will get you dancing, or at
least jumping around, either way, you will not be able to stand still while
listening to this album. “You Killed Me First” has a great mix of funk and
Two-tone ska that I really dug. “Burnt Offerings” has a great surf sound with
manic vocals that really stuck with me. The songs are played with rawness and
without a tongue in cheek sense of humor that makes them sound more convincing.
The band isn’t a joke band, they really do like these twisted and strange
things and give them the respect and love that makes for repeated listens. The
band has a rawness to them that makes the album sound dangerous and creepy, but
still has the ability to make you an instant fan.
Their third album is a definite anomaly in the music world
nowadays, not easy to pigeon-hole and filled with more giddy strangeness than
you would think most people would want to perform, but these guys love it and
it shows with every lick played. The band has hit one out of the park with this
album and it isn’t a baseball, it’s a severed head.
-Rick Ecker
Comments