“It’s kind of like a who’s who of Australian metal at the moment,” Haley says. “The two-venue idea is killer. You can just go back and forth and check a bit out here, a bit out there. They’re two very cool venues that have been super supportive of live music, so we’re really looking forward to playing. For instance, the Bendigo pretty much took over from where the Arthouse left off, almost without missing a beat. That’s got a lot to do with Dave Collins, the booker there, who is a legend and super supportive of Melbourne bands and Australian bands in general. It’s my local-that’s-not-really-my-local!”
Psycroptic fans will be able to hear a preview of the band’s new material at Brewtality; the record is in the very last stages of creation right now. “We’ve almost finished,” Haley confirms. “There are just a couple more elements to get done. We were struck with some computer troubles, which seems to be the bane of any recording process, but it’s all good now and we’re chipping away. We own our own studio, so things take a lot longer than they should sometimes because you keep doing stuff over and over again. But in terms of what we’ll play at Brewtality, we’ll be playing a new song from the new album plus our favourite songs from the rest of the albums.”
So what form is the new album taking? “Well it’s personally my favourite material,” Haley says. “It’s a lot more catchy than the stuff we’ve done in the past; a progression from our older material. That sounds like a cliché and it sounds like a cop-out, but it’s true. We’ve played some of it a few times live and there’s been a good response. People seem keen to hear more of the new material. The new album should be out early next year.”
One element that always cuts through is Psycroptic’s appreciation for traditional thrash. Its influence is usually there somewhere, even if the intensity is turned up to higher and higher levels.
“Joe, our guitarist, writes most of the material and he’s got his roots firmly planted in the thrash movement. We’re just a glorified thrash metal band with blast beats. And in terms of riffing, that’s just his style. I don’t think he thinks our material is that complex because it hasn’t got too many changes, but his riff-writing style is very melody-based.”
On the topic of his drumming idols, Haley lists, “Anyone who can do stuff that I can’t. All the old standards like Gene Hoglan, Derek Roddy… and some of the fusions guys. I’m a big fan of my current drum teacher Darren Farriguia, a great fusion guy. If someone can do stuff I can’t, it makes me want to do it. And the drum community seems to have a camaraderie there. We always swap ideas with whoever we tour with, and show each other stuff. I’m not sure if that’s shared amongst other instrumentalists. It’s not like we’re hiding anything from each other, it’s more like, ‘Check this out, I can do this.’”
BY PETER HODGSON
