Heaviness is kind for the alienated

Psycho Toaster

Arena Beisl Open Air, Arena Wien, Austria 20201020

Not only in Northern Europe summer is gone and darkness rises, in Austria as well. But the good vibes are floating through the walls and veins of the Arena in form of an earthing Rock trio.

It was the Bierwoche one year ago, when a friendly guy from Southern Burgenland walked up to the guests to promote his band Psycho Toaster. Since then, they have heard the calls of their fans and released their debut in March, which out of known reasons they couldn’t celebrate then.

On the record, they meld Alternative Rock with Metal borrowings, bringing likes of The White Stripes, Helmet and Godsmack to ones mind. Like this, they positioned themselves right in the squad of other local heroes like Great Rift, Prototyper, The Heavy Minds and Tokan.

At arrival, the soundcheck can be heard beyond the walls. After, the Samsara Blues Experiment is blown out of the Beisl, bringing in the right mood. Psycho Toaster start with the first four tracks from their album including the outstanding “Psycho Storm”. It includes a Psychedelic feeling and a Foo Fighters ending, while an enthusiastic listener tells it has the groove of “Sad But True”.

The group seizes the opportunity to play new song ideas in front of people. The tracks they jokingly name “Listening Sampel A, B and C” slow down the pace, a little bit bluesy, as they determine themselves and with a little Black Sabbath touch. Then they go on with the record, and as encore they add a Led Zeppelin and Billy Idol cover.

Like Quentin Tarantino does in his movies, Psycho Toaster take various influences and greatly mix them up together to something new and powerful. And they know how to take interaction with their audience. Looking at contemporary dates, Vermocracy at the Escape and Savanah and Ozymandias at the Arena probably will accomplish the same feat.