ReView: Psyclon Nine – More to Hell0

Psyclon Nine
Album: More to Hell
Category: Industrial / Black Metal
Label: Metropolis Records
Release Date: 2023-03-10
Author: Ryan H. (DoktorR)

2022 saw a resurgence in the dark force that is Psyclon Nine as Less to Heaven delivered the band’s most ambitious and complete record thus far. Acting as an addendum to Less to Heaven, More to Hell provides a small handful of remixes and new tracks that keep the same aesthetic, but don’t quite provide the satisfaction of the original record.

The opening “For the Night is Dark and Full of Terrors” is the most adjacent to the Less to Heaven material – angry, screeching blasphemy, and tight production, including some unique drum programming. Remixes are intended to be a revision of an original track with a new spin, but particularly in the case of Pitch Black and Jay E, these versions actually remove many of the elements commonly associated with Psyclon Nine. The Snakes of Russia and Suicide Commando remixes are a bit more effective, the former retaining the noisy and sinister spirit of the original, and the latter invoking the spirit of older, more electro/industrial Psyclon Nine material, as well as more down-tempo Suicide Commando. Rounding out the record is “Catastrophic” with Nero Bellum’s Not My God collaborator Tim Sköld, which stylistically diverts from that project’s brand of noise. Also, there is an interesting closing track in “Bleeding Out” that shows a stripped-down and actually quiet version of Psyclon Nine not often heard. It’s an atmospheric Nine Inch Nails-esque track that highlights a different side of Bellum as a producer, and bookends More to Hell nicely.

Ultimately, this album is truly more of a collection of B-sides and extras than a true supplement to the last record. It’s a rare occasion where the original tracks exist perfectly as they are and truly didn’t need the remix treatment, despite some of them being perfectly acceptable. The fury and venom of the previous album is only found in pockets here, and while the new tracks are worth a listen, it’s the power of Less to Heaven that actually hurts More to Hell since it just isn’t replicated in the supplementary release.
 
Track list:

1. For the Night is Dark and Full of Terrors
2. See You All in Hell [Pitch Black Remix]
3. Money and Sex and Death [Jay E Remix]
4. See You All in Hell [Snakes of Russia Remix]
5. Money and Sex and Death [Suicide Commando Remix]
6. Give Your Love to the Devil
7. Catastrophic [SKOLD]
8. Bleeding Out

 
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