Psychonaut 4, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2020
I’ll be quite honest. Five years ago, in 2015, when I was told that Psychonaut 4 would be performing in Tbilisi, I really wasn’t interested in going to see them live. I hadn’t heard of the band until then and I really had no idea where they were coming from musically.
They were the biggest metal act in the South Caucasus, friends in the three countries that make up the region told me. They were not to be missed, it was said, and those friends from neighbouring countries even planned to travel to Georgia especially for the gig that was due to be held at a Tbilisi nightclub.
But then disaster struck, with the tragic Tbilisi Flood resulting in the concert being cancelled. Having missed them then, and despite being an avid concert-goer at many a Georgian punk and metal gig in the years in-between, fast forward to the end of 2018 when I would once again hear of Psychonaut 4.
This time, however, it was from other local bands who offered them up as an example of how Georgian metal could be succesful on the international stage. Indeed, and somewhat paradoxically, you’re more likely to catch a Psychonaut 4 show in Europe than you are in their native Georgia. Unfortunately, the local market remains underdeveloped and suitable venues remain a problem.
I see tears are choking you,
Tell me how can I help, I beg you,
I see thoughts make you drunk,
Tell me what are you crying for, why do you suffer?
I see the pain is breaking you, to what have you been addicted to so much that you can’t get over it?
I see that death is following you, come home today, and let’s remember how to smile.
[…]
I will find the way,
I’ll escape from it, I,
I’ll find the way,
I’ll deal with it, I,
I’ll find the way,
I’ll sail over the sea too, I,
I’ll find the way,
I won’t kill myself.
Tbilisian Tragedy,
Translation from Georgian to English via Talheim Records.
Psychonaut 4 recording BeautyFall, Tbilisi, Georgia © Onnik James Krikorian 2020
In the midst of a global pandemic, and I as I edit Tbilisi Underground, a documentary film on the metal and punk scene in Georgia, it’s now become something of a regular habit to follow the resilience and perseverance of Psychonaut 4 given one postponed European tour, a canceled performance at the Under The Black Sun festival in Germany, and a delayed new album release because of COVID-19.
Fortunately for me, however, a few days ago I received a link to the soon to be released Beautyfall and I haven’t listened to anything else since.
Typical of Psychonaut 4, melodic interludes punctuate heavy audio barrages of raw energy and sound. Whatever you might be doing at the time, at some point you realise that you‘ve suddenly become immersed in the music instead.
There are moments of sadness and despair before an unexpected but uplifting riff follows immediately afterwards. Two nights ago, for example, I couldn’t remain seated when the opening melody of “#ToStoreAndToUse” followed “Sana Sana Sana — Cura Cura Cura,” a sad tale of wasted childhood and anger at being misled by unrealistic promises. Who would have thought you could dance to Depressive and Suicidal Black Metal (DSBM)?
The loyal fans of Psychonaut 4 worldwide, and anyone who has seen the band live, will know that you can. Facebook and Youtube comments often remark on how vocalist Graf von Baphomet, real name David Lomidze, dances on stage. It’s not what I was expecting from DSBM, or as the band likes to call it, Post-Soviet Suicidal Black Metal, I will admit. Yes, there’s even a sense of humour too. A dark one, of course, but humour nonetheless.
Last year’s European tour, for example, was entitled “From Tbilisi With Hate,” a play on the Georgian capital’s one time slogan of “The City That Loves You.”
Beautyfall is a great album. That might sound like an understatement, but while writing this I can’t find a superlative that can do it justice. Melancholic rather than depressive, there is a sad beauty that resonates in-between the frustration so despairingly embodied by von Baphomet’s anguished screams. I sometimes have to wonder how he has any throat lining left.
The guitar work of S.D. Ramirez, real name Shota Darakhvelidze, and Glixxx can even be sublime at times, while Nepo Neparidze’s drums resonate particularly well on headphones, especially when the double kick goes into overdrive. At times, Alex Menabde’s baselines even reminded me of Stanley Clarke’s on Dance of Fire, an album by Azerbaijani jazz artist Aziza Mustafa Zadeh. Seriously.
The use of saxophone in “Dust, The Enemy” has shades of Nik Turner from British space-rock pioneers, Hawkwind too. If you thought black metal was just about noise then you’re very much mistaken.
Beautyfall, for me anyway, is very much a headphones experience and perfect for late night walks through a deserted urban landscape made all the more emptier by the pandemic. I find myself relishing the solitude. I enjoy the isolation. I don’t regret the decision in choosing either.
This is no tired formula regurgitated as can happen with some bands. Beautyfall departs from the usual format of a Psychonaut 4 album even if the themes — depression and substance abuse — do not.
There is no melodic introduction of several minutes as their previous releases had. Instead, the band smashes the unsuspecting listener in the face with a baseball bat on the opening track, One Man’s War. What also sets it apart from their back catalogue is that much of it is in Georgian, finally putting to bed the notion that metal can only be sung in English. Melodically, the track “Tbilisian Tragedy” even sounds Georgian.
Non-Georgian speakers shouldn’t be put off by this, however. It’s really about meaning expressed through sound, though to understand what von Baphomet is anguished about would of course add yet another important layer to the experience. Indeed, he doesn’t consider himself a vocalist. His voice is an instrument. He screams. From the inner depths of his soul, leaving the more melodic vocal lines to S.D. Ramirez while Drifter adds an addition growl.
Beautyfall is an instinctively psychological and emotional experience as much as it is one of intellectual contemplation. Yes, the themes are dark, but it’s also important to realise that the band doesn’t promote them, instead offering the listener a solution in the form of a release.
Comments from fans on YouTube, who have experienced everything from occasional depression to some very real contemplation of suicide, are all testimony to that. And it’s that release we all probably need during a pandemic that is still far from over.
Highly recommended.
Beautyfall by Psychonaut 4 will be available from Austrian Black Metal music label Talheim Records in September 2020. The band is on Bandcamp here.
