The first release by 'humor-core' band Psychostick is one to remember, and is one you can certainly laugh at.
What do you get when you mix four bored guys, a lot of alcohol, humor, and some instruments? 'We Couldn't Think of a Title'.
Psychostick on this album were made up of Robert "The Notorious R.O.B." Kersey who would later become known as Rawrb, on vocals. Joshua "Special J" Key on guitar and vocals. Mike "Hawkizzard" Kocian on bass and vocals, and finally Alex "The Boy" Preiss on percussion and annoying bird sounds.
Yeah I couldn't find a picture of the line-up on this album sue me. Metal though, right?Throughout the album, without giving too much away, the guys talk about everything from beer to killing themselves so people would buy their album out of curiosity and media exposure. The thing is, while some songs don't entirely hit their mark (Scrotal Torment comes to mind), a lot of the songs just work so well, and that's rare in a comedy album, although I can't really call it a comedy album because they are serious about the music, just not the lyrics.
The album is filled with little skits of them talking about random stuff, and even going out and doing things while recording it, like going to various fast-food places and asking for a 'death burger'. Sounds odd in concept and more stupid than funny, but that's what helps give the album personality. Not everything hits the mark perfectly, but all of it just fits so well together like pieces of a puzzle.
Their music is just basically metal with some influences from other genres at times, and as odd as it sounds, the fact that it's metal just makes it funnier. What would be funnier, a normal song about singing the ABC's, or a man screaming them at you over blaring guitars? A normal rendition of the hokey pokey, or a metal version of it meant for mosh-pits called the 'Hokey F**kin' Pokey'?
One thing becomes apparent though, if this weren't a comedy album, it'd still stand tall as a good metal album, just not as good as if it were a humorous one. Rawrb is very capable of screaming and singing, Josh and Mike are great at their respective instruments, and Alex is a fast drummer.
The album isn't all metal though, due to skits, plus some of their slower songs meant to parody emo and generally depressive music culture, at one point making a parody of a love song, by making 'Orgasm = Love'.
Sure it's not the most talented album you can come across, but it is certainly one of the most charismatic ones. I love these guys, personally, and I've loved their music since I was 13. Seeing them live (which I will later blog about) just made me an even bigger fan than I was before.
They're just some guys making music that they find funny and personally enjoy. If you enjoy it, that's great. If you don't, then don't ruin their fun.
7/10
Recommended Track(s): Beer, Throwin' Down
