{"product_id":"psychonaut-world-maker-endless-currents-edition-2x12","title":"Psychonaut \"World Maker\" Endless Currents Edition 2x12\"","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA record born of insurmountable joy and simultaneous profound loss; \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e marks a time of great change for Psychonaut, both personally and musically, as the band burn away the philosophical narrative complexities of previous offerings with a searing, panoramic clarity that implores us to savour the beauty of the now as a means of leaving a legacy for the future.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe traditional, three-piece line up of Belgian, psychedelic post-metal collective \u003cstrong\u003ePsychonaut\u003c\/strong\u003e has long belied the compositional prowess, captivating narrative depth and crushing live presence of a band now operating at the forefront of forward-thinking, contemporary heavy music.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eHaving sent a shockwave through the post-metal and prog scenes with their three times repressed \u003cstrong\u003ePelagic Records\u003c\/strong\u003e debut \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eUnfold The God Man\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e in 2020 before following it up with the transformative metaphysical complexities of 2022’s \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eViolate Consensus Reality\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, Psychonaut have played prestigious Belgian open-air festivals like Alcatraz, Rock Herk and Boomtown Festival as well as boutique events such as Soulcrusher, Roadburn Redux and A Colossal Weekend whilst sharing stages across Europe with the likes of Amenra, Brutus and Pelagic labelmates The Ocean and PG.Lost.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThe seed of \u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e took shape just as the campaign for \u003cem\u003eViolate Consensus Reality\u003c\/em\u003e came to a close, with the news that guitarist\/vocalist \u003cstrong\u003eStefan De Graef\u003c\/strong\u003e was to become a father. This tilting of life’s axis led De Graef, like most fathers-to-be, to re-assess what was really important. As such, the music he was inspired to write felt free of the band’s previous philosophical and spiritual foundations and instead took the form of life lessons for his unborn son, a legacy of love in case something were ever to happen.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eThis hopeful euphoria shines keenly throughout \u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e as an uncharacteristically optimistic warmth; from the reverberating Rhodes organ on the titular opening track and the meandering, free-jazz inspired guitar solo that introduces ‘Everything Else is Just The Weather’ to elements of world music, electronica and the otherworldly voice of Dutch multi-instrumentalist and old friend \u003cstrong\u003eAnthe Huybrechts\u003c\/strong\u003e (Anthe\/Helion Creek) most notably on tracks like ‘Origins’ which also features tabla, a pair of indian hand drums, as its propulsive heartbeat.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eWhilst Psychonaut’s giant riffs, punishing polyrhythms and guttural vocal rage are more resplendent than ever, there is a wider dynamic spectrum to \u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e that sees the band proudly exploring their more delicate, intimate extremes as well as their most aggressive and abrasive. Not long after the birth of De Graef’s son came the devastating news that both his own father and Psychonaut bassist\/vocalist \u003cstrong\u003eThomas Michiels\u003c\/strong\u003e’ father had been diagnosed with advanced cancers. Living day-to-day and torn between joy and grief, the band found themselves shedding the grand scope and world-shattering agenda of \u003cem\u003eViolate Consensus Reality \u003c\/em\u003eto focus on the here and now.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eLead single ‘\u003cstrong\u003eEndless Currents\u003c\/strong\u003e’, the first full track on the album, explodes in a barrage of staccato guitar tapping but mellows to let the powerful, newly pared back lyrics ring out as a call to embrace the flow and follow joy. The song’s final few words ‘\u003cem\u003eLead the way. \/ Soar. \/ Everlong.\u003c\/em\u003e’ double as both a greeting and a goodbye as the trio build their formidable post-metal might to a thunderous breaking point. Similarly, the pulsing, propellant ‘\u003cstrong\u003eStargazer\u003c\/strong\u003e’, named so for De Graef’s son being born in stargazer position, pairs delicate guitar motifs and folk-inflected optimism with huge and sprawling breakdowns as some of the band’s most genre-pushing work to date; asking difficult but important questions of what happens next.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIt is ‘\u003cstrong\u003eAnd You Came With Searing Light\u003c\/strong\u003e’ though that most immediately exemplifies Psychonaut’s redirected ambition on \u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e, as euphoria collides with blinding fury. The first track written for the album, ‘...Searing Light’ is easily the most complex and initially wouldn’t sound out of place on \u003cem\u003eViolate Consensus Reality\u003c\/em\u003e. Originally meant to be the new album’s opening track; the decision to defer its impact, not to mention its compositional and dynamic gravity, speaks of a fundamental change to the band’s very core. The words “\u003cem\u003eDiscover the world with wide eyes\u003c\/em\u003e” recurring throughout speak as much to those having lost a part of their world as they do to those seeing it for the first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eAmidst such turbulent times, the band found strength and support within their Post-Metal community. The album was recorded and produced by the band alongside their longtime collaborator and close friend Chiaran Verheyden (\u003cstrong\u003eHippotraktor\u003c\/strong\u003e) with help and advice from Psychonaut’s live engineer Victor, who will no doubt make this album sound just as awesome on stage. Even the artwork for \u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e was a family affair, being designed by close friend Sam Coussens of Belgian cosmic sludge metallers \u003cstrong\u003ePothamus\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eIn the face of life’s soaring highs and desolate lows, \u003cem\u003eWorld Maker\u003c\/em\u003e is direct and brave without sacrificing any of Psychonaut’s raw power, creative innovation or inimitable musical depth. Where their previous full-length offerings have charted grand introspective courses through time and space, World Maker is breathtaking in its uncompromising clarity: a father singing to his newborn son as a son bids his own father farewell.\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFOR FANS OF\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eMastodon, Russian Circles, Tool, Gojira, The Ocean, Pelican, Hypno5e, Cult Of Luna, Amenra\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Psychonaut","offers":[{"title":"Endless Currents Edition","offer_id":51709359554838,"sku":"648966","price":42.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Stargazer Edition","offer_id":51709359587606,"sku":"648967","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0690\/8939\/4966\/files\/fd4aff6b19a12e6327aa5437aef22dd7.png?v=1786650391","url":"https:\/\/pelagic.indiemerch.com\/products\/psychonaut-world-maker-endless-currents-edition-2x12","provider":"Pelagic Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}