But it appears  as if some HM2 boss pedals have found their way to Michigan City, Indiana as the quartet has developed what was a pretty mediocre take on death metal into an improved, Swedish inspired delivery that is pretty good and certainly better than I recall the EP being.

Of course the guitar tone helps, as I generally love the Swedish buzz saw tone. And while no one will confuse these mid westerners for Entrails or even fellow Americans Sentient Horror, but one listen to tracks like the groovy canter of “Hell’s Venom”,  standout slow burner “Red Poetry” or moody, varied 7+ minute number “Faded Scars Return to Bleed” and ambitious, almost 10 minute track, will show how much these guys have moved on from their more Skinless/ Cannibal Corpse influenced sound of before.

Other tracks like “As Your Vital Signs Decline” urgent “The Castigator” and classic Swedish stomp of “Myrmidons” and MK Ultra” are entertaining as well and show a band willing to develop and change their sound even if its from one well know style to another. A band that I was pretty nonplussed about before is certainly on my radar now.

I wasn’t familiar with the band during their first go around and i’m not sure I really missed any thing based on the new material contained on this 30 minute, 6 track EP (which is pretty good value for an EP). It’s not terrible, it’s just pretty standard, slightly raw US death metal culling from the 90s and early 00s. You can hear bits of Skinless’s early slop, Six Feet Under’s mid paced groove, some Malevolent Creation -ish death/thrash, Cannibal Corpse ish technicality, etc, etc. It’s a veritable Frankenstein of US death metal.

Other than maybe the slower lurches of the title track or “Bastards Burn” there’s not much here that really sticks. Psychomancer try to get a little more experimental for the 6 minute “Abhorrent Wings of Decay” with acoustic intro, choirs and a more melodic approach, but it seems a bit forced and out of place amid the typically more raw and sloppy grooves and blasts of the rest of the tracks, though I can appreciate the try. However, if that’s the full direction they go with in future, I might give them another go. But as it stands, I cant see myself getting to excited about Psychomancer as they are more than likely going to get mired in the tons of other, better death metal acts out there right now.