Since the passing of my mother last September, I have been in a state of grief, and looking for ways to celebrate my mom’s powerful impact on this world. My mother was a victim of rape and sexual abuse at the age of 13, and no one believed her. Even worse, they blamed her. I celebrate her legacy by standing with survivors of these horrific crimes and by fighting back against those who stand with abusers.
Why would I start a review with such a heavy topic? Let me tell you why — it’s because music has the power to heal and can also act as a portal to other ways of thinking. Today I’m turning y’all on to the new self-titled EP by the band PSALM coming out via Portrayal of Guilt Records. These three humans have created one of the sickest records of the past decade, straight up! Their songs have the power to heal my grief, and yes, immersing myself in their audio universe is beyond uplifting! As encounter their song “I AM THE SLAUGHTER,” I feel pain and empathy for those who are not heard, but I also feel the absolute power that says we will not be defeated. If you try to put PSALM’s music in a box, you will miss the point, because they are showing you the darkness that exists within the light.
ALL HELL HATH NO FURY I AM THE SLAUGHTER I’LL SERVE YOU COLD AN ORPHAN OF MY BODY YOUR DEEPEST END THE THEFT THAT SHE SUFFERED UPON YOUR BED A SEED SOWN IN WANTING HER FRUIT YOUR LAST A TRIAL BY FIRE — I’LL LIGHT THE MATCH ALL HELL HATH NO FURY I AM THE SLAUGHTER
– PSALM “I AM THE SLAUGHTER”
I love how they harness sonic aggression and pull the listener towards solace at the same time. The song “FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY” starts magical and gives space to our inner ghosts who speak to our inner fears. Within a second, it shape-shifts into another beast altogether, before returning to its magical form. I refuse to give their music a label, because so much is happening within their songs that their meaning can only be felt through listening!
PHOTO BY KEYA GOLDFEIN
PSALM, I want you to know that as “UNWORTHY SON” crawls into my brainwaves, I feel all of the emotions that they put into this beyond amazing record! My mother was not the biggest fan of heavy music, she came from the Soul generation. That being said, if she read the lyrics and heard the music she would appreciate PSALM’s art just as much as I do! I hope with my heart of hearts that this band gets all the shine that they deserve, because this debut is next-level RAD AF! The only drawback is this record is only 3 songs long, and I can’t front, I want more! I can’t wait until they drop their LP.
In closing, I want to say thank to the band for manifesting such an unreal EP, and thank you for allowing us to share it with the world!
