Deepest Symphony- Psycho 101

Artist: Deepest Symphony
CD Title: Psycho 101
Label: Dark Star Records
Reviewer: Joshua Heinrich
Date: 12/20/05

Sporting both some interesting wordplay and the usual bag of gimmicks (track 6 is labeled "666" and you'll find plenty of skull artwork), Deepest Symphony throw about half an hour of channeled industrial mayhem your way on their full-length debut, Psycho 101. Sporting apparent 80s and early 90s industrial influences among others, Dave Spencer's distorted rasps and whispers carry atop layers of loops, samples, guitar, and other real instrumentation, creating a strong, dark industrial/electro-rock sound that is dense and endearingly lo-fi.

Sometimes seemingly geared for club play (the dance-industrial closer "I Hate Your Hate"), sometimes more aggressive (the steady thumping percussion and guitar riffing of the disc's title track complete with a Psycho theme motif), and at other times almost alternapop-oriented (the downright catchy standout "Devil's Dance"), the album is sonically consistent yet stylistically diverse enough to avoid becoming too repetitive. Other memorable moments on the album include the noteworthy synth riff loop of "Tears of Pain" and the interesting semi-industrial funk and reverb-drenched vocals of "The Creep".

Despite the occasional cliché, Deepest Symphony's Psycho 101 is a relatively solid foray into lo-fi industrial territory with underground electro-rock leanings and a handful of particularly catchy underlying pop hooks. Whether the band caught your ear at this year's Gothicfest or you're a lo-fi industrial fan among the more numerous uninitiated, you'll probably find their short but rather decent debut at least worth a listen.