Psyche: album reviews and ratings

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Holding frozen pages, unforgotten rhymes -- Psyche	Psyche (Darrin Huss & Co)

Artist Listing:

S - Z

Formed by Canadian brother's Darrin and Stephen Huss, Psyche released their first album 'Insomnia Theatre' in 1985, including the ground breaking hit Brain Collapses. In 1993 following six studio albums, SPV Records released a Best of Psyche: '69 Minutes Of History' collecting Psyche's most played songs from 1987-1991. In 1994, Darrin was looking for a new keyboarder/composer to work with for the future of the band, as it was clear that he would continue his career in Germany while his brother Stephen lived in Canada. Keyboarder Per-Anders Kurenbach was the replacement, and the new incarnation of the band brought the popular 'Strange Romance' release including the cover of Q Lazarus' Goodbye Horses. At the begining of 2000, Psyche signed to Art Of Fact Records for North America, and Remi Szyszka replaced Per-Anders on synth and programming. The EP 'Sanctuary' was released in 2001 and the title track found Psyche back on the dancefloors with an energetic dark-electro dance anthem. The successful Sanctuary single was followed by the album 'The Hiding Place' that same year , a milestone re-establishing Psyche at the top of their genre, as well as charting at the number 4 spot on the German Alternative Chart's (DAC) Top 100 albums of the year. In 2004, and after 10 studio albums, Metropolis Records signed Psyche and released a best of collection: Legacy (1991-2003).

Discography - Album / CD Reviews

¼ 1985: Insomnia Theatre
CD Track Listing: 1.Mr. Eyeball Ooze 2.Maggots 3.Children carry Knives 4.Wrench 5.Psychic Vampire (='Wink of an Eye') 6.Brain Collapse 7.Eating Violins 8.On the Edge 9.Why should I? 10.Contorting the Image
"The debut album of the Huss brothers with the ground breaking Brain Collapses, Mr. Eyeball Ooze, Wrench, Maggots and several other wonderful horror-synth classics. Digitally remastered, and re-released in 1999 with additional bonus tracks such as the never before available Consuming Life and Nocturnal Wasteland!"

-- Tadeuz (Bodystyler), via psyche-hq.de

1986: Unveiling the Secret
Track Listing: 1.Thundershowers - 2.Caught in The Act - 3.Lord Unleashed - 4.The Darkside - 5.Prisoner to Desire - 6.The Saint become a Lush - 7.Black Panther - 8.Taking Chances - 9.Unveiling the Secret (Remix) - 10.The Crawler - 11.Screamin' Machine - 12.Waiting for the Stranger
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1986: Mystery Hotel
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1989: The Influence
"In 1989, Darrin teamed up with David Kristian to create a new Psyche album entitled 'The Influence'. The album was performed completely using the Casio FZ1 and David incorporated his own samples that gave Psyche a new sound. Electronic and darker in context, The Influence revitalized the gothic scene. Even though no tracks were released as singles from the album, it proved to be a classic as Lights of Euphoria covered the song Misery on their debut album."

-- bio, psyche-hq.de

1991: Daydream Avenue
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1994: Intimacy
"With 1994's 'Intimacy' Psyche returned to release a masterful mix of short dramatic pieces under the productive eye of U.S. Mixer Joseph Watt (Razormaid). This album included Heaven In Pain as a bonus for those who had missed the single. With fascinating atmospheres, and mature thought-provoking lyrics Psyche once again recieved great notice for their continuing innovations. Love Is A Winter a piano piece written by Mark Hessburg, a friend of Darrin's from Kassel became a concert favourite. Peepshow and Blind depicted the darker zones of love and sensuality, and Freaks set a new standard in sinister electronics."

-- bio, psyche-hq.de

1996: Strange Romance
"Psyche's seventh official album. This is the first album of the 90's where keyboarder Per-Anders Kurenbach replaces Darrin's brother Stephen on the synths. Here, one finds such atmospheric trancelike titles as Trouble In Mind and Remember, as well as the melancholy dance tracks Tears, Silence Was A Melody, and Lonely One. Also included are three covertunes: the acoustically performed Guilt originally from Marianne Faithfull, the achingly romantic arrangement of Annie Lennox's Stay By Me, and not to forget the phenomenally successful version of Goodbye Horses originally performed by Q Lazzarus in the movie 'Silence Of The Lambs'. Experience the full spectrum of emotional synth-pop. Strange Romance indeed. "

-- fan, amazon.com reviews

1998: Love Among The Ruined
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½ 2001: The Hiding Place
"... well crafted synthpop and EBM tunes with dance floor appeal, smooth keyboard layovers and mostly swift rhythms. You won't find much in the way of heavy stompy bass here as Psyche tend toward a more refined and even sound throughout. Renegade, for example, combines beautifully harmonized soft male vocals and wraps them up in synthesizer chords, hits and melodies. There are two versions of the song Looking Glass here as well, the original synthpop tune and a trance remix that increases the track length by about a half minute and adds a groovier bass line. It also washes the vocals with a bit of floatiness and adds in melodic overtones that slide in and out with superbly flowing melodies - an excellent example of progressive trance. (...) My favorite from the whole album however has to go to Lost Innocence. With computeresque quirks harkening back to Kraftwerk electronics, a consistent thumping bassline and added toy piano melodies during chorus areas, Lost Innocence is an awesome track. Lost Innocence is sure to be an EBM classic for years to come.

-- Marcus Pan, Legends Magazine

2003: Babylon Deluxe
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¾ 2004: Legacy (1991-2003)
"Singer/songwriter Darrin Huss is the main drive behind Psyche's 20-year career, a career he calls his "imaginary life" in the charming liner notes. With the help of Metropolis he's compiled the band's grandest moments on Legacy, stuffing the disc with 78 minutes of atmospheric melancholy and pacing the set wonderfully. Plenty of songs play up the death and dark to the point no one new is going to be won over, but the band's three top songs are worthy of consideration by all those not threatened by sunlight. "Exhale" has a better construct than Psyche's cottage industry should allow. It's thrilling, twists and turns musically, and should be added to Annie Lennox's dramatic songbook any day now. "Angel Lies Sleeping" is the superb dance number that put the band on the map back in late '80s, but it's the cover of the obscure "Goodbye Horses" that steals the show. Huss and Per Anders Kurenbach -- the other member till he handed his synth duties over to Remi Szyszka in 2001 -- nail the tune, a tune that's most known for Buffalo Bill dancing to it in The Silence of the Lambs. (...) Neglected for too long because they were lumped in with all the lessers, Legacy gives Psyche the props they deserve."

-- David Jeffries, AllMusic Guide

½ 2005: The 11th Hour
Musicfolio Picks: 15 Minutes, The Belonging Kind, September Moon.
"Psyche have been reborn into a new philosophy and sound while still retaining their familiar name. Mastermind Darrin Huss apparently decided that for Psyche to survive, it had to evolve past that signature synth-pop sound. It probably wasn’t the worst decision he ever made either. For one thing you can only do one sound and keep it fresh for so long. (...) Where the Psyche of old was characterized by synths and drum machines with soft sung vocals, The 11th Hour proves the new incarnation to be far more subdued with a much darker atmosphere. Songs like Bloodcurse, and Belonging Kind are moody tracks that move at a fair to medium pace, yet never falter in keeping the listener’s attention. The track September Moon is a standout for being one of the most emotive songs I’ve heard in recent memory, while tracks such as “Defenseless” are almost danceable. Huss has created an album that varies little in sound, but swells with emotion. Being a huge departure for the Psyche of old, this album should be looked at as a credible progression, and not as one trying to cash in on a fad. While not all the songs are mind blowing (Yearning, for instance....sounds like Blur), the album is overall a strong one, and is worth the attention of Psyche fans, and fans of this style of music. "

-- Justin Rowland, gothic.net, 2/05

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Recommended Links:

The Official Psyche site
Psyche on Metropolis Records