Pitchshifter - PSI (2021)

After skipping from record label to record label in search of a home, Pitchshifter has settled down as part of Sanctuary records, a growing label that houses industrial veterans Ministry, as well as heavy metal icons Megadeth, among others. Along with the new label comes a brand new album, PSI, a disc that has been in the works since shortly after Deviant was released in 2000. PSI, which stands for Pitch Shifter Industries, is an engaging listen that may in fact be Pitchshifter's best release to date, and while the sampled exploration is scaled back in comparison to such albums as www.pitchshifter.com, it finds the band covering even more new ground musically. The first noticeable difference is the reliance on a heavier sound, as Pitchshifter is more aggressive then ever before, wielding a viscous guitar sound that bludgeons your ears with slab after slab of nu-metal tenacity. PSI also is by far the group's most accessible album, as songs like "My Kind" and "Super-Clean" are very easy to digest and undeniably modern. As a complete album, PSI is much more solid than the spotty Deviant, as it seems the group has turned their focus back to the music itself, and not scouting new labels, as their departure from MCA seemed imminent when Deviant was released in 2000. J.S. Clayden's trademark nasal moan is more subdued, allowing each song to set with the listener much easier, and while the nasal scream is still in effect on songs like "Shutdown" and "Eight Days," it seems less piercing and harsh than on previous albums. Pitchshifter has seemingly found their niche, somewhere amidst edgy electronica and heavy alternative metal, and in doing so has succeeded in completing an album that is incredibly catchy and sure to spawn a whole new collection of fans, while retaining the group's cult following. © Jason D. Taylor