Psycho-Frame // Salvation Laughs In The Face Of A Grieving Mother // Album Review

USA deathcore newcomers Psycho-Frame are here to take the world by force with their debut album “Salvation Laughs In The Face Of A Grieving Mother”.

After gaining a buzz within the underground by bringing back a chaotic & punishing sound back to deathcore, the group found notoriety quickly.

Their first two EPs, “Remote God Seeker” & “Automatic Death Protocol”, gained them even more of a following & helped them quickly become the rising star within the deathcore. After signing with Sharptone Records, the group is about to release their first full-length, Elven tracks of some of the most brutal, sonically assaulting music within deathcore in some time.

Opener “Blueprints For Idol Genocide” is like a shotgun blast to the best. The first few bars are straight-up ludicrous. Before giving you a brief pause before the rest of the track blasts in again. What gives PF its edge is the two-pronged vocal attack. Where most bands might do highs & lows sections, PF are able to layer their vocals & even do both at the same time thanks to the amazing pipes of vocalists Michael Sugars & Coulter Cuthbertson.

The great thing about PF’s overall sound is its deep-rooted feel of older great American death metal, say Dying Fetus & Suffocation, but added the flare of the 00s deathcore of Suicide Silence & All Shall Perish, which creates these groove elements but also keeps the brutality to 11.

This is because of the raw talent that guitarist Hunter Young holds. His ability to write some of the most chaotic riffs that make my brain hurt, but also some of the best down tempo chugs & apocalypse style break downs is remarkable.

“THE PORTAL” is a track that just echoes that sentiment. Right from its opening, it’s straight downtuned brutality. But what makes this album different to the sea of modern deathcore is the great recording & mix.

The album is being helmed by Hunter Young with engineering. Being mixed & mastered by Brandan Lopez and Hunter Young @ Digital Ghost Audio. And Reamps by Randy Labeuf @ Graphic Nature. This team have created a sound that even with some of the 808s, heaviest chugs ever heard & even the bass hits are clear & distinct. Which creates this wall of noise, which feels like you’re getting blasted in the chest. But if you listen carefully, everything is being captured perfectly. It’s great to hear such a modern style of recording.

If you ever wondered what it would sound like if the gates of hell opened, then “Apocalypse Through Lysergic Possession” is the soundtrack. With notes that are going 200mph in its opening section & hyperblasts by drummer Leo McClain, just the first few seconds of this track are the heaviest thing on the album yet, but as the track continues, somehow they get heavier. Incorporating this tapping style section to give the track this catchy motive grabs you. It might be a constant barrage, but these little moments of stopping for a brief second or ringing out a section build the intensity & escalate the track to make it somehow even heavier as it goes on. Remarkable.

Now, when it comes to genres, i’m no gatekeeper or care about the little stuff but Psycho-Frame are making what i believe is to be true deathcore. Taking that brutality of the early brutal death metal of said Dying Fetus & Devourment but adding in the breakdowns & groove elements of hardcore that bands of the 00s deathcore used to create their now legendary sound.

That’s not to say Psycho-Frame are derivative. These guys are mixing it up & creating their sound. Taking that foundation of the music they love & mashing it all together to create one of the most chaotic, brain-melting albums of the last few years. Only every few years, a band comes along, gains hype that is well deserved & puts out a record that everyone can learn from. And I’m happy to say “Salvation Laughs In The Face Of A Grieving Mother” is that. An album that everyone who loves heavy music will enjoy here but there is something here for everyone. It’s the best material the band has written to date & I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Review: Joseph Mitchell

https://bfan.link/the-portal-2