Kate MccGwire, Secrete (mixed Media With Magpie Feathers)

Kate MccGwire, Secrete (mixed media with magpie feathers)

Everyone remembers Cyrano as Funny Big Nose Poetry Guy, but nobody remembers the one time he went to the Sun and saw a battle between a fire salamander and an ice remora that looked like geometric drawings u_u

Reblogging from my music alt account 🦐🎸

CheapSweets Pick 'n' Mix - Best of 2022

What is it?

Violate Consensus Reality, second full album from Belgian prog-metal outfit Psychonaut (no relation to the Double Fine video game).

Psychonaut is;

Thomas Michiels - Bass, Vocals

Stefan de Graef - Guitars, Vocals

Harm Peters - Drums

(also features Colin H Van Eeckhout from AMENRA and Stefanie Mannaerts from BRUTUS on the title track).

What is it like?

A 'psychonaut' is someone who uses altered states of consciousness to explore the human condition. Of course, historically, music is one of those things that has been used to elicit said altered states of consciousness... does that mean, if you listen to this album, you are a 'psychonaut' listening to 'Psychonaut'?

I can't say that this album answers deep questions like this, but it does cover philosophical and existential themes. I fell in love with Stefan de Graef's vocals after hearing him on Hippotraktor's first full album, Meridian, and he's a great contrast to the cleaner vocals of Thomas Michiels.

I feel there's a really deep thematic connection to stoner rock; some of the song structures seem similar, even if they are interpreted via post-metal sensibilities.

A lot of the lyrics focus on self realisation and self actualisation, the music is moody and swirling, with a lot of tone and shade; similar to bands like The Ocean, both in terms of the album as a whole and within the individual songs, as exemplified by the title track, Violate Consensus Reality.

You might like this if you are a fan of:

DVNE, The Ocean, Hippotraktor (not least because Stefan de Graef is the vocalist on this band as well!)

Lyrics such as:

Chase your roots with courage

Go beyond

Reject the norm

Follow your compassion through the storm

Don't just take my word for it:

Carcharodon from AMG praised the production and Harm Peter's drumming, and felt it was one of those albums that grows in estimation with each subsequent listen...

Angry Metal Guy

Psychonaut - Violate Consensus Reality [Things You Might Have Missed 2022] | Angry Metal Guy

A look back at Violate Consensus Reality by Psychonaut, a Thing You Might Have Missed in 2022, available now via Pelagic Records.

Richard Murray from The Sleeping Shaman enjoyed the 'dazzling' dynamics and evocative messaging...

The Sleeping Shaman

Review: Psychonaut 'Violate Consensus Reality' - The Sleeping Shaman

Psychonaut 'Violate Consensus Reality' review – Eight tracks of expansive post-rock and metal that’s out now via Pelagic Records

Alex Mace, writing for Distorted Sound, felt the album was 'daring and raw' and that it was a good followup to their previous album...

Distorted Sound Magazine

ALBUM REVIEW: Violate Consensus Reality - Psychonaut - Distorted Sound Magazine

Alex Mace reviews the new album from psychedelic post-metallers Psychonaut! Read the review of 'Violate Consensus Reality' here!

Standout tracks:

Violate Consensus Reality, Interbeing, A Pacifist's Guide to Violence

Where can I find it?

Youtube;

YouTube

Pelagic Records

Pelagic Records will be releasing select bands and artists in the future that deliver quality music and art and share a common vision of tas

Bandcamp;

And, Spotify;

Sci.News: Breaking Science News

Dwarf Reed Snakes Can Cartwheel to Escape Predators | Sci.News

A team of scientists from Malaysia and the United States reports an observation of cartwheeling behavior to escape predators employed by the

In other 2023 news, the mythical Hoop Snake is a real thing

Three of my recent cephalopod paintings, in order of creation. Nautilus on blank skateboard, Kraken on wood panel, Japanese Firefly Squid on blank skateboard.

Iridescent slender springtail, Lepidocyrtus fimicolus, Entomobryidae

Found in the United States

Photos by tshahan