Had it in mind that Rat King were a weirder, tricksier band than this, and listening back to 2020’s ‘Vicious Inhumanity’ there does seem to have been a slight change of tack. ‘Psychotic Reality’ sounds less frantic and less maniacal, the band loosening the knotty tangles of riffs and easing into a more mid-paced state of affairs. Bands like Nasum and Blockheads still work by way of reference, but it feels like more death metal has oozed into the mix – a situation that has thickened them up while slowing them down. It’s not as unremittingly savage as, say, that first Gravesend LP, but it’s still a solid enough dose: I’m just left wanting a bit more attack than is currently being offered.
