Review by: Pyro - Pyromusic Webzine - 2004

Psychonaut formed way back in '97. In no time at all they had enough material for an album and headed into a studio to lay down the tracks - so far, so good. As the album title suggests though, the band did procrastinate, so much so that they decided not to release the album as they weren't happy with how the tracks were sounding. Fast-forward a few years and the guys decide to re-enter the studio, clean up the music and eventually release the album, which finally saw the light of day early 2004.

You could almost be forgiven for thinking a quite a bit of the music was recorded in the early-to-mid 80s though, with a very Hardcore (early Corrosion of Conformity/Anthrax) sound to it, mixed with some Punk and Metal.

The opening track, 'Darklord', it would seem, refers to dear old Darth Vader, and with a THX theatre opening sound followed by a rather distorted Star Wars theme remix mixed with Hardcore, sets the listener up for the ensuing 40+ minutes of queer mayhem.

Chanting choruses, relentless skin slapping, and gritty vocals all synonymous with Hardcore of the 80s are ever-present on Masters of Procrastination. What helps distance the record from being specifically Hardcore are the Mike Patton-like oddities here and there and some juicy guitar solos.

The icing on Psychonaut's cake is the inclusion on the disc of all album artwork in digital form and more videos (both 4:3 and 16:9) than you can poke a stick at. Not a bit of space has been wasted on the disc - just as it should be ;)

Masters of Procrastination will appeal to fans of old-school Hardcore (and it's subsequent progression towards Thrash), along with those into the heavier side of Punk and people enjoy a little quirkiness to their music.

Review source: Psychonaut - Masters Of Procrastination Review

Review by: Ian Busch - Primal Agony Webzine - 2004

Psychonaut who come out of Western Australia have been plugging away since 1999 when the basis of this album also has its origins. While this EP was actually recorded back in 1999 it was never released due to poor planning and organisation and was shelved. However in 2003 the band decided to resurrect the original tapes and went about it with the help of Aiden Barton in the production chair. Together and with a bit of studio experimentation and layer upon layer put over the original recordings they finally arrived at what you have on the CD now. Mixing metal and hardcore with a bit of punk attitude is what Psychonaut have to offer and they blend it extremely well. The opening of 'Darklord' has an early thrash mixed with classic metal feel to it and is like Judas Priest meets early Death Angel.

From that great opening track the fast pace continues with 'Steamroller'. With a punk like simplicity to the music the song flies along, while 'El Elph' keeps the up tempo beats mixing a bit of cheesy 80's metal feel to the fast riffs. It's straight out hardcore on 'Scheisskampf' while they try their hand at a bit of spoken silliness on 'Thus Spank The Apes'. There is a great groove to 'Confusion?Vertigo!' showing these guys certainly have a few different musical ideas. This song will have the crowd jumping to it as it has such a great fun and rocking vibe to it. 'Rats' and 'Old Blood Rivers' have somewhat of a classic metal influence within the songs while the final track 'Psychonaut' is very raw sounding punk/thrash. Not content to leave it at nine rocking tunes they have also included a multi media section with a properly produced video's for 'Confusion?Vertigo!' and 'Steamroller' plus live videos of a couple of non album songs amongst other stuff on here.

Review source: Psychonaut - Masters Of Procrastination Review

Review by: Quentin Kalis - Chronicles Of Chaos Webzine - 2006

When this CD landed in my post-box, I initially tossed it aside, as I considered its release date of January 2004 to be too old to merit reviewing -- especially as the follow-up "The Sounds of Horror... and Other Noises" is apparently due any day now. But after listening to these quirky movie obsessed stoners, I decided that regardless of the release date, I couldn't let this pass by without comment.

The sound is a delightful heavy retro rock, arguably more indebted towards punk and rock than metal, and vaguely reminiscent of desert rock pioneers Kyuss. Listed influences include Alice Cooper and The Misfits, and given the obsession with B-grade movies, this comes as no surprise. Standout tracks include "Darklord" -- a song about the "Star Wars" saga (which, to be honest, makes for a welcome break from Tolkien inspired balderdash) which incorporates a perversion of the pompous theme that is performed whenever Vader appears on screen -- and also "El Elph", which apart from a catchy chorus, has a deliciously sleazy feel.

The promo blurb states that Psychonaut have become a popular live act due to their frenetic energy -- and for once I can believe normally hyperbolic promo blurb; it is not too hard to imagine their energetic brand of heavy rock translating well in a live setting. (Although a couple of live videos are included on the CD, their quality is too poor to form any definitive conclusions about their live performances.) Enjoyable in a non-pretentious way, much like Metalucifer.

(7 out of 10)

Review source: Psychonaut - Masters Of Procrastination Review