Psygnosis – Mercury
Release Date: 15th September 2023
Label: Season of Mist
Bandcamp
Genre: Instrumental, Progressive Metal, Extreme Metal, Death Metal, Electronic.
FFO: Ne Obliviscaris, Rivers oh Nihil, Persefone, Dysrhythmia.
Review By: Rick Farley
France’s Psygnosis started its progressive, extreme metal path in 2009. Founded solely by guitarist Rémi Vanhove, who wanted all of his musical influences represented in one sonic vision. The band’s debut EP Phrases was released the same year, setting the foundations of what Psygnosis was going to be, atmospheric extreme metal with electronic flourishes. Rémi added a second guitarist, a bassist and a death metal vocalist rounding out the band while still programming all the drums himself.
After two full length releases, one in 2012, Anti-Sublime, and the other in 2014, Human Be[ing]; the year 2015 marked a significant change in the band by becoming fully instrumental, foregoing vocals entirely and adding cellist Raphaël Verguin to the mix. The now instrumental progressive metal band brought us the 2017 release of the extremely ambitious album Neptune, clocking in at over one hour and seventeen minutes of the bands journey through the solar system. There’s an intergalactic theme that runs through the bands discography and music that gives off the impression that we are not alone.
Now fully caught up and in 2023, Psygnosis is dropping what’s about to be their most compelling and focused album to date. Mercury, released on Season of Mist, is chock-full of atmospheric beauty, jittery metallic riffs, electronic elements, and technical blast beats. Structurally, the album comes off as tech death, without all the flash and needless noodling. In its place is what can be described as pure emotion and crushing atmosphere. The haunting way the melodies and cello work together with the dynamics of the full soundscape gives this a mystical feel that penetrates your consciousness. All the melodic intricacies from the cello and other instrumental ambience in between heavy, crunchy riff patterns add a tremendous amount of organic vibrancy that takes the compositions into a whole other level of intense emotional music contrasting between barbaric and resplendence. At times heavy, nasty, and bulldozing, the guitars and drums hit you with excessive force, chugging rhythmically and snorting fire, while at other times the clarity found from the serene beauty of delicate soundscapes is almost cosmic. Sadness, hope, despair, longing, anger, and joy are all felt within the walls of this living, breathing entity. Truthfully, this is a colossal journey that would not work as well as it does if there were a vocalist. Often times instrumental music, especially metal, can wear thin after only a few tracks, that is simply not the case here. Mercury is an album that will be slowly digested over several listens, never completely revealing its full self until you’re fully invested. You’ll begin to hear things differently by your third listen, and assuredly you’ll feel and experience different emotions each time.
Five tracks, clocking in at a total running time of fifty-six minutes, gives Mercury plenty of room to flex its immense brutality and seduce your mind into a trancelike planetary motion. The recording, mixing, and mastering was done by Thomas Crémier at SoundBlast Studios except for the cello which was recorded by Raphaël Verguin. Production wise, the record sounds alive and energetic. Everything is easily distinguished in the mix and highlights the necessary dynamics. It’s easy to understand, given the track record for instrumental music, how this could be written off before ever being heard, but you would be doing yourself a serious disservice by not checking Psygnosis out. Tremendous atmosphere of moods running throughout, all based on the foundation of progressive death metal. Check this one out and thank me later. 
(4 / 5)
