The early days of the North American Heavy Metal depicted a set of influences that are still in the core of the genre in the USA: the catchy melodies inherited from North American Hard Rock and AOR from the 70s (acts as BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, KISS, AEROSMITH, MONTROSE, ALICE COOPER, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, BOSTON, KANSAS, JOURNEY and many others are seminal to North American Metal School), more the technical care of the North American musicians (can someone deny the huge influence of Randy Rhoads playing on “Blizzard of Ozz” and “Diary of a Madman” on USA Metal School?), and the raw energy of acts as JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and AC/DC. From Glam Metal to Death Metal, these influences are easy to detect, it’s just a matter of hearing. And such bowl of influences strikes hard on “Committed”, the first album of the manic quartet PSYCHOWARD.

As the paragraph above depicts, to such musical ways, it demands a personal sonority. And the works done at the studio allow the band to have an organic and uncompromised sound approach, but without sounding outdated in any way. It’s heavy and aggressive, but clean and defined to allow the melodies to flow easily, and what a very good and gloomy artwork for the cover. The quartet has on the vocals an experienced musician: the UK born singer John, that during the 80s was living on Los Angeles and worked with names as SLASH, MADAM X, and HURRICANE, and had his old band (called SHAME) managed by Gene Simmons. So he moved back to UK, and now in Spain he joined forces with Miguel, Gonso and Tony Montano. These facts explain clearly why the album sounds ‘committed’ with the old and good form of Hard/Glam Metal/Heavy Metal of US. But pay attention that the energy and personality of the band are clear in each song. It doesn’t sound nostalgic, but alive and truly kicking!

The band’s musical level is amazing, and it makes things shine with an excellent and living outfit, as depicted on songs as “Crazy Angel” (a set of excellent guitar riffs and leads in the ways of 80s US Metal and Glam Metal ways is heard, boost the melodic and aggressive outfit of the song), “Forever More” (it’s a mix between contrasts of tender and melodic moments with heavier catching parts, what demands a lot of bass guitar and drums, but they are up to the trial), “Celebrate” (here the more accessible side of US Metal appears, with excellent tempos and very good nasty tunes of the vocals), “Chinese Whispers” (a heavy form of greasy Hard/Glam Metal appears here, and the ‘vanhalean’ guitars arrangements are excellent), “Part of the Machine” (a heavy and thunderous song due the rhythmic massacre of bass guitar and drums), “Sleepwell” (a deeper and melancholic ballad with heavier moments, with tender melodies and arrangements, with another very good set of tunes’ contrasts of the vocals), “Champions” (another moment when US Metal and Glam Metal elements are mixed), and… Oh, come on! Listen to “What am I Doing Wrong?”, “Thrown it All Away”, “One More for the Road” and the bonus track “Champions NO FX” as well, and you won’t regret the experience!

Let yourself be rumbled down by “Committed”, and welcome PSYCHOWARD's music!