Psycroptic

Psycroptic is a technical death metal band from Hobart, Australia. The group forms in 1999 and remains active. Its line-up includes Matthew Chalk, Cameron Grant, David Haley, Joe Haley, Jason Peppiatt and Todd Stern.

Formation and early releases

Psycroptic forms in 1999 around brothers Dave Haley on drums and Joe Haley on guitar, after their earlier band Disseminate records a demo in 1998 and then breaks up. Cameron Grant joins on bass and Matthew Chalk on vocals. With help from the Tasmanian Council of the Arts, the band records The Isle of Disenchantment as a demo, but the result leads to its release as a full CD.

Touring and festivals

After that release, the band is invited to play in Melbourne. It then appears at the annual Metal for the Brain festival in Canberra in 2001, 2003 and 2005. In 2003 the band plays its first full Australian tour supporting Incantation. It also tours Australia again in 2004 with Deeds of Flesh, then tours Europe with Dismember and Anata. Later it performs Australian dates with Hate Eternal, then tours with Cannibal Corpse after the release of its third album.

Albums and labels

Psycroptic records its second album, The Scepter of the Ancients, in 2003 for Unique Leader. Its third album, Symbols of Failure, is the first on Neurotic and appears in 2006. The band is signed to Prosthetic Records and has released eight full-length albums.

Line-up changes and related activity

During the European tour in 2004, Jason Peppiatt fills in for Matthew Chalk, who is reluctant to travel. After the tour, Chalk leaves and Peppiatt replaces him. Chalk continues with other projects, including drumming in M.S.I., performing with Space Raven, singing with groups such as Mephistopheles, playing bass in Born Headless and working with other projects. The Haley brothers also play with Sydney industrial black metal band The Amenta and record Occasus with that group. Dave Haley also works on the Ruins EP Atom and Time. By 2007 both Dave and Joe Haley are also performing with Hobart black metal band Ruins, and Dave Haley joins Blood Duster in September 2007.

Later tours and performances

In early 2007 Psycroptic begins work on the follow-up to Symbols of Failure and later appears at the Come Together Music Festival in Sydney on 10 June. During a European run with Deicide, Joe Haley collapses after one show and suffers a seizure; the remaining dates are cancelled.