metal

Psychostick

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Self-described humorcore: deadpan songs about beer, food and workplace misery, played with enough genuine heaviness that the joke never undercuts the riffs.

Psychostick trace back to Asinine, a band Josh Key led in Odessa, Texas in the 1990s. Key dissolved that group in 2000 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona to reunite with high-school friend Rob Kersey. Drummer Alex Preiss answered a local want ad, bringing in bassist Hunter Alexander, and the four settled on the name Psychostick.

The band coined the term "humorcore" for comedy songs built on legitimate heavy metal and hardcore arrangements. Subjects run to beer, fast food, office drudgery and other everyday irritations, delivered deadpan over riffs that would work without the punchlines.

Their debut, We Couldn't Think of a Title, was self-released in 2003 and reissued through Rock Ridge Records in 2006, reaching No. 41 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart. Its song "Beer!" became a signature track after XM Radio's Liquid Metal show gave it heavy airplay in 2007. Later records include Sandwich, Space Vampires vs Zombie Dinosaurs in 3D, IV: Revenge of the Vengeance and Do.

Psychostick began touring nationally in 2006, sharing bills with acts including Mushroomhead, Bobaflex, Powerglove and Three Days Grace. The band is known for a live show that leans into the comedy without dropping the volume, and their videos have circulated widely online.

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