PSYCHE MISGUIDED ANGELS ALBUM ART OF FACT RELEASE: OCTOBER, 2000 (NORTH AMERICA), SPRING 2001 (EUROPE) REVIEW: MAY 8, 2001

It seems they will rise on nine. I abandoned Psyche in the early nineties and have since only briefly checked in with them, to see if anything exciting had happened. It looks like 2001 could be the year when I will consider taking them to my heart again. "Sanctuary", their brand new single, is the best song I've heard coming from the duo since the late eighties. A new album is also lurking in the shadows.
In the meantime, Psyche has released a kind of compilation with some of their tracks aimed for the American market. "Misguided Angels" holds mostly unreleased songs from the "Love Among the Ruined" period as well as some old classics in exclusive versions. A cover of Suicide's classic "Che" and an early demo take of a collaboration with former Skinny Puppy - and Psyche member Dwayne Goettel are also included. Much of the material here can't quite measure up to the band's highlight moments and therefore comes off as a bit misleading to those American fans who've never heard Psyche before. Yes, "Unveiling the Secret" is here, so is "Misery", but there are still many other tracks that would do the band better justice.
Psyche is still a reasonably good band, and mastermind Darrin Huss' personal voice may very well have found its right environment in new keyboarder Remi Szyska's fat dance beats. Let's hope so.

NIKLAS FORSBERG