Album Review: Siriun – Psychonaut (Self Released)

Siriun is a Brazilian metal powerhouse known for their unique blend of death, thrash, and progressive influences. In March this year, they released their latest album ‘Psychonaut’.

There’s no better way to celebrate ten years of existence then with a frenetic and frenzied blast of heavy metal, and that’s what Siriun offer across the entirety of their new album. Albeit with some exciting genre-bending, progressive creativity, and melodic catchiness too. Although, to begin with, it’s all about speed and heaviness as Deep Water Flow comes crashing and banging with intent.

It creates immediate admiration for what this band is doing because, for all its garish intensity, it also shows off their more imaginative side. An early indicator for what listeners can expect across the album. That, and their heavy capabilities, which are given even more of a showcase on the raging title track, the chunky Another Reality (a track with some gargantuan soloing), and the belligerent Encoded Inception. The first third of the album giving more than enough reasons to head-bang until it hurts.

There’s plenty more to come though, and Siriun push the limits of their guitar and vocals skills to even greater heights with Final Hour. The hefty backbone of this track, and most of the album, coming from a coarse percussion section.

Following that, and after so many heavy slabs of noise, Kailash changes the tone a bit as it features no vocals, has big guitar melodies, and an atmospheric vein running through it. It’s short, but it is memorable. Which applies to most of the album too. Especially when we’re subjected to something so chaotic as Primal. Or when we’re subjected to something so extensive and vast as we are with Into the Pillars of Existence (Axis Mundi). You can find out everything you need to know about Siriun with this middle section of the album.

Although, that doesn’t mean the latter part is lacking banger tracks or reasons to let loose. In fact, it’s quite the opposite as the speeding intensity of The Trial screams circle-pit, Expanded Optics demands blood, sweat, and tears, and Igneous gets lovably nasty. As well as being intricate pieces, these tracks also have some serious groove. Chances are, if you’ve been loving everything up to this point, you’re going to love what this section offers too.

They’re not quite done though, and it’s fair to say this is a big album, but boredom won’t have set in. Not when a track like Zenith is on offer, and not when it delivers such an array of sounds that perfectly blends creative heaviness with captivating melody. All while it continues to showcase the lack of inhibitions that Siriun has when it comes to progressive twists and turns.

Finally, it’s Outro – Ascension, and here Siriun get really melodic. Allowing the senses to recover from the blast that has just happened, and easing things out in imaginative fashion. A very welcome, and cool finale. Proving to be the cherry on top of this kick-ass album.

Siriun – Psychonaut Track Listing:

1. Deep Water Flow
2. Psychonaut
3. Another Reality
4. Encoded Inception
5. Final Hour
6. Kailash
7. Primal
8. Into The Pillars of Existence (Axis Mundi)
9. The Trial
10. Expanded Optics
11. Igneous
12. Zenith
13. Outro – Ascension

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