Psychonaut – Violate Consensus Reality [Things You Might Have Missed 2022]

Belgian progressive post-metal trio Psychonaut is one of those bands that has bobbled around on the very edges of my radar for a while. I was aware of them. I knew, from what people had told me, that I would probably like them. But I nevertheless slept on it. Until, that is, the Kiss-lovin’ Mighty Metal Cowboy Huck N’ Roll told me I really should check out the band’s sophomore effort, Violate Consensus Reality. A high-concept album that proclaims the formation of a new world through the acceptance of a new human identity, and seeking to “distance themselves from a system that is based on the idea that humanity is fundamentally bad and needs protection from itself in the form of a hierarchy,” Psychonaut has stuff to tell you. Serious, philosophical stuff. Whether you’re here for that side of things or not, the exceptional music on show should be enough for any post-metal fan.

Mixing slow-build dynamics, psychedelic excursions and cathartic crescendos with sudden explosions of fury, Psychonaut draws inspiration from the likes of The Ocean and Baroness (in that bygone era when Baroness wrote compelling music and didn’t crush their albums into unlistenable garbage at the production stage). Complex, sprawling, dense, and yet accessible, Violate Consensus Reality swirls around the listener, as mesmerizing guitar lines repeat over and over, gradually evolving on each repetition, before suddenly breaking into brief aggressive assaults. The vocals, delivered by bassist Thomas Michiels and guitarist Stefan de Graef, oscillate between delicate cleans, gruff barks and all-out harsh, screamed vox.

For the title track, Psychonaut has lured in Stefanie Mannaerts (Brutus) and Amenra’s Colin H. van Eeckhout to add additional layers to the vocals, and to great effect. Mannaerts’ soaring, ethereal cleans lend the track a quality that reminded me of the most recent Sylvaine, as van Eeckhout’s tortured howls bring something of Amenra’s intensity into the mix. The psychedelic strings and delicate keys that open “Hope” come straight out of Gazpacho’s Demon playbook, and stand in stark contrast to the brash, abrasive, in-your-face noodlings and meaty bass lines of “All Your Gods have Gone” and the brilliantly titled “A Pacifist’s Guide to Violence”. Drummer Harm Peters is on another level throughout, with his polyrhythms and progressive fills in some sections, and deft restraint in others, serving up the perfect percussive backbone to Violate Consensus Reality.

With excellent, rich production, I liked this record from the off but, the more time I have spent with it, the more it has grown in my estimation (and affection). Having initially discounted it even for TYMHM treatment, at this point in time (14:43 GMT, 14 December 2022), I am quietly confident that Violate Consensus Reality will occupy a place on my year-end List.¹ Psychonaut’s willingness to experiment and toy with listener expectations across the record’s meaty 52-minute run, suggests a band with a lot more than two albums under its belt. Coupling great musicianship with excellent songwriting chops, I can’t wait to see where Psychonaut go next.

Tracks to Check Out: “Violate Consensus Reality,” “Hope,” “All Your Gods have Gone” and “A Storm Approaching.”