Psycroptic

Psycroptic
Origin	Hobart, TAS
Genres	Death metal
Years active	1999 – present
Labels	Nuclear Blast, Neurotic, Unique Leader
Associated acts	Ruins, M.S.I., Born Headless, Disseminate, Blood Duster, The Amenta, Astriaal, Spawn of Possession
Website	http://www.psycroptic.com
Members	Cameron Grant, Dave Haley, Joe Haley, Jason Peppiatt
Past members	Matthew Chalk

Band Members

• Current Line-Up
  • Cameron Grant (bass)
  • Dave Haley (drums)
  • Joe Haley (bass)
  • Jason Peppiatt (vocals)

• Former Members
  • Matthew Chalk (vocals) (1999 - 2005)

Band Information

Psycroptic is a brutal death metal act from Hobart and is perhaps now one of Australia's most prominent metal bands on the international touring circuit after four albums and European touring every year since 2004. Formed from the remains of several other local bands, Psycroptic's style is dense and crushing but harbours an original approach with idiosyncratic tempo-changes and slower passages.

The Isle of Disenchantment was made on a miniscule budget with assistance from a grant from the Tasmanian government and originally intended only as a demo but features excellent production, sound and packaging and is a very worthy addition to any collection. Psycroptic quickly began to find a following throughout Australia and featured at High Voltage and Metal for the Brain in 2001.

In 2003 the band completed their second album and signed to US death metal label Unique Leader. Psycroptic then toured Australia with Incantation in June. Following the release of their excellent second album, Psycroptic again appeared at Metal for the Brain. In July 2004 the band toured nationally with labelmates Deeds of Flesh and appeared at Sydney's Bloodlust Festival. Late the same year Psycroptic undertook a tour of Europe with Dismember and Anata without Chalk, who was unable to tour; Jason Peppiatt from Born Headless and M.S.I. stood in his place. The band then appeared at Metal for the Brain in Canberra and Brisbane in 2005.

After this is was announced that Chalk had been asked to leave Psycroptic. He was replaced by Peppiatt and the band then toured with Hate Eternal. With the release of the third album, Psycroptic was now well established as one of Australia’s top metal acts and further European touring occurred in mid-2006. In early 2007, their European shows with Deicide were interrupted when Joe Haley suffered an eplileptic seizure after the first show. Returning to Australia, the band toured nationally with Cannibal Corpse. Work began on the follow-up to Symbols of Failure in early 2007 and in June the band played at the Come Together festival in Sydney. By early 2008 Psycroptic was working on album number four with an east coast tour planned for June ahead of a tour through the US with Vader, Kataklysm and The Black Dahlia Murder. In late June 2008 it was announced that the band had signed with Nuclear Blast.

Both Dave and Joe Haley were with The Amenta until late 2007; Dave has been with Ruins since 2004 and Joe is also a live member of that band. In 2006, Dave recorded the drum tracks for Belgian band Aborted's Slaughter & Apparatus album and his work appears on the 2008 album Preaching Venom by Dubai band Nervecell. He replaced Matt Rizzo in Blood Duster in September 2007.

Psycroptic's fourth album Ob(servant) was released on October 4, 2008. The band supported the release with a tour through every state and territory and shows in New Zealand. Following that, Psycroptic toured with Whitechapel and then went through Europe with Cephalic Carnage in January 2009. Psycroptic then toured the US with Carcass, Suffocation and Samael before another Australian tour in May and June with The Amenta and Ruins.

In October 2009 the band played an Indonesian tour with Arch Enemy and Burgerkill. The next month they won a string of awards at the Australian Metal Awards including Best Film Clip (for "Initiate"), Best Export, Best Live Band, Most Popular Merchandise and Best Album Art for (Ob)Servant. Psycroptic's next Australian tour was with Decapitated, Origin and Misery Index in April 2010. The DVD Initiation was released in March 2010. During the year, Cameron Grant played bass with Astriaal for some shows. In the last half of 2010, Psycroptic performed in China and became the first western band to appear in the Inner Mongolian city of Hohhot. The band rounded out the year by touring the US with Nile. A fifth album has been written and recording begins mid-February 2011. Psycroptic will headline most of the Bastardfest events in September 2011.

In April 2009 Chalk was announced as the new vocalist for Swedish death metal outfit Spawn of Possession. His first performance with the group took place at Sydney's Screamfest on December 31, 2009. Peppiatt and Chalk were also former members of MSI.

Discography

Albums:

	2000	The Isle of Disenchantment	self release
	2003	The Scepter of the Ancients	Unique Leader
	2006	Symbols of Failure	Neurotic
	2008	Ob(Servant)	Nuclear Blast

VHS/DVD:

	2010	Initiation	Stomp

Compilation tracks:

	Year	Track Title	Album Title	Label
	2003	"Condemned to Discontent"	Amassing the Hordes	Dissident
	2004	"The Colour of Sleep"	Legions: Opening of the Southern Gate	Blacktalon Media
	2005	"Skin Coffin"	Metal for the Brain 2005	Faultline
	2007	"Alpha Breed"	A Blaze in the Southern Skies	Prime Cuts