Review by Felix on September 14, 2023.

In its early days, Nasty Savage was a fantastic formation. "XXX“ in the Metal Massacre VI version caught my attention immediately, the debut offered great songs and "Indulgence“ marks a thrash metal milestone for all eternity. The following EP was still very good, but then the reputation of the savages began to crumble. The band with this weird, individual, mysterious aura ran out of breath… and returned 15 years later with Psycho Psycho. This was a fitting title, because Nasty Ronnie had always been famous for his psychopathic touch, of course not he personally, but his artistic ego. Expectations got even higher when I saw that four guys of the debut were involved into the reunion. But to reproduce the chemistry of the early days is always a very difficult challenge for more or less old men. No wonder, Nasty Ronnie and his comrades failed.

When it comes to Psycho Psycho, my first thought is: too long, dudes, too long. The full-length suffers from its very uniform song material, too many mid-tempo parts without the necessary dose of aggression and some lukewarm sections. Sometimes the songs rather tend to power metal than to thrash. I don’t say that the five-piece throws sonic stink bombs. There are no songs which deserve to be hated due to senseless, half-baked, meandering or even embarrassing parts. Nevertheless, tracks like “Anguish” or “Dementia 13” do not stand for excitement or any kind of fiery sounds. It’s true that the title track kicks off the album in an aggressive and infectious art. Moreover, the stereo effect of the chorus lends the song a pathological vibe. But there are eleven tracks more to discover (or to endure). They are more or less standardized in length and approach, the guitar lines do not vary a lot and Ronnie’s once very charismatic vocals are okay but not the outstanding factor they had been before.

Sometimes the quintet is able to present some parts with a certain weird feeling, but the magical mysticism of classics such as “Hypnotic Trance” remains out of reach. Added to this malaise is the stuffy, relatively lifeless production. Everything seems to be pressed into a corset and so "Psycho Psycho" has a comparatively dull effect. The lack of transparency reinforces the interchangeability of the songs. Even “Step Up to the Plate”, a piece with a strong double bas supported beginning, does not develop any lasting aroma. Thus, it feels good to listen to their old number called “Savage Desire”. It’s the only track that combines a flowing easiness with expressive metal lines, even though the vocals sound pretty odd in the middle of the song. Nevertheless, together with the straight and vehement “Hell Unleashed”, it is the only tune here which comes more or less close to the title track. And so, allow me this personal note, the release date of “Psycho Psycho” is its best detail, because on this day my wonderful son was born.

Rating: 6.6 out of 10