Psychea

Psychea (Psiheya)
Background information
Origin Saint Petersburg, Russia
Genres Digital hardcore, post-hardcore, industrial metal
Years active 1996–present
Labels Капкан Records
Signal-Records
Calypso-Records
IspoLzuj Mozg-Records
Associated acts Anticrisis XXX Superstar Band 666
Feodoq
Proдукты24
Tantra DJ
Kill Kill Kill All DJs!
Bad Samurais
Website Official website
Members Dmitry "Feo" Porubov
Andrew «Azz» Zyryanov
Andrew "Slesar" Opletaev
Slava "Slavon" Galashin
Eugene "DJ J" Lurie
Vyacheslav Kocharin
Past members Andrey Efimov (1996-1998)
Anatoly Kacharin (1996-1998)
Alex Keener (1997-2001)
Alexander Yakovlev, "VoRon" (2000-2008)

Psychea (Psiheya) (pronounced psee-heh-yuh, Russian for Psyche) is a Russian alternative rock band, based in St. Petersburg, playing music in the self- named genre of "surrealcore". Being at the top of the alternative rock scene in Russia during the 00's, they now represent the elite cultural underground of St.Petersburg and the country itself. In 2012 the band celebrated their 16-year anniversary. The band consists of six musicians, who perform on, respectively: drums, bass guitar/backing vocals, guitar/lead vocals, second guitar, synths/sequences/mc, turntable. The band also widely uses video projection during their shows.

Genres

Musically the band combines elements of, mostly hardcore genres of rock music with electronic dance music and turntablism, and also all other popular and underground music genres like industrial metal, hardcore techno, conventional rock music, noise–rock, death metal, etc. The band have always been straightforward and free in their behaviour and meaning, so are the most truthful and powerful act on the "rock stage" from Russia.

History

1996–2000

Psychea was formed in Kurgan, Russia by Dmitriy "Feo" Porubov. Their first line-up, entirely acoustic, came together in 1996. The second version of Psychea, featuring an electronic musician, appeared in 1998. In the same year, the band released a demo recording entitled "S.S.O.K.". Having achieved some popularity in Siberia and the Urals through participation in rock festivals, the band moves to St. Petersburg in 2000.

2000–present

Psychea's performances on the Saint Petersburg club scene were noticed by fans of alternative music and praised by the music press. The band's healthy approach to self-promotion baffled their metropolitan colleagues who continued to believe that heavy airplay and support from renowned producers were essential to becoming popular. Psychea played on a weekly basis, never turning down an offer. Regular support slots with whatever "Russian rock hero" happened to play on the particular night helped the band gain some big venue experience inaccessible to most club acts.[1]

An album, entitled "Geroy pokoleniya Barkhat" (A Hero of the Generation Velvet), was released in 2001 to mixed reviews.[2] The lack of appreciation did not discourage the band. Kazhduyu sekundu prostranstva (Every Second of Space), an album that proved to be a key work for the Russian alternative music scene, followed in 2001. It was described as a record about "really young boys who are on the verge of a nervous breakdown. They were born in the late 20th century, and they like guns, but no one would give them any".[3]

Soon the St. Petersburg club scene had around two dozen successful bands who, like Psychea, performed a new brand of "alternative" music.

By the mid-2000s, Psychea had become a leading Russian alternative music band, despite their uncompromising attitude and despite not being played on Nashe Radio or featured in other mainstream media. In 2005 the band receives the RAMP award in the Gig of the Year category from the A-One (TV channel) channel, although the band's show at the awards ceremony saw a last-minute cancellation. Receiving Psychea's statuette, Feo said: "The cancellation of our performance here is a clear indication of the state of the alternative music environment in this country".[4]

The band has repeatedly had problems with the police over the song entitled "Ubey menta" (Kill the Cop). Feo was detained after the band performed the song at the Emmaus rock festival in 2007.[4]

Kill the Cop was declared extremist by Moscow's Dorogomilovsky District Court in September 2010 and included on the Federal List of Extremist Materials.

Some of the central themes of the band's work are a search for love, loneliness and pain.[4] Psychea has shared the bill with Soulfly, Rammstein, Therapy? and "a few lesser-known bands".[4]

Psychea have released four studio albums, several singles and EPs, a couple of concert DVDs and fourteen music videos, and played hundreds of live shows across the one-sixth of the globe. The band recently released their fifth studio album, the promised second part of "SongsOfSlumsHopesOfBrokenHearts", entitled "Shades of Love".

Discography

Studio albums

Live albums

EPs

Singles

Other

DVDs

References

  1. ↑ "Freedom gig". fuzz-magazine. 2010-06-06. Retrieved 08.06.2010. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  2. ↑ "Hero Velvet Generation". zvuki.ru. 2002-03-16. Retrieved 2002-03-18.
  3. ↑ "Every second of space". zvuki.ru. 2003-02-26. Retrieved 2003-02-26.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "brawler forever". zvuki.ru. 2005-11-14. Retrieved 2005-11-14.

External links