GROG

PSICOTROPIA's second effort wasn't quite as fascinating as their much rewarding debut for me. I couldn't say that it was a complete disappointment but I realised a considerable decrease in uniqueness and versatility during listening to this CD. Maybe I should emphasize that my review is restricted to the audio part of this set since I do not own the live DVD. The sound of the band became altogether more modern and heavy metal-oriented which is not necessarily a bad thing but especially in the first two tracks here which did not much to me they could be easily mistaken with any technically oriented metal prog band XY. Without any doubts their music is still highly intricate but I've to mention as well that the riffing though played in a highly technical perfection easily become quite boring if played repeatedly again and again.

Unlike on their debut songs are here mostly with vocals (in Spanish language) which I don't really mind since the voice of the singer is excellent. First three tracks are rather similar in style that is quite aggressive, technical heavy metal. Not really bad I've to say but as well not the type of music I could listen to over and over again. Forth track "Leuven" is a sort of modern Spanish "romantic" rock song possibly influenced by MUSE, a nice listen but actually not very special. "Cinco Mundos 2.0" is a quite short instrumental track driven by intricate bass play and would have fit well on their debut. As well next one "Pájaro" reflecting quite nicely their previous experimental style."Nana negra" is more a kind of ballad and almost sounds a bit inspired by RADIOHEAD and the addition of some cello and violin here is a large enrichment of their sound I've to say. The final title track is a quite humorous and interesting metal jazz mix which I found very much enjoying in fact.

As a summary I'd like to say that their second album "Grog" is still a very good and entertaining but not really an excellent one (at least if considering the audio CD alone). Unfortunately the band could not quite keep the promises taken on their debut and references to other modern bands became a bit too obvious for me. But let's be hopeful that they are still in a phase of finding their own identity and let us expect big things to come from them in future. Nevertheless PSICOTROPIA is a highly talented young band full of potential as they've shown on their debut which I'd recommend to check out first if you're new to this band. "Grog" might be a worthy additional purchase most notably since it comes together with a live video (which I still miss).