Psychonaut – World Maker: Album Review:

By Howard King on 26th October 2025 • ( Leave a comment )

Belgian psychedelic post-metal trio Psychonaut release a masterful new album, all set within music inspired by traumatic life experiences. One which will satiate those of diverse musical tastes

Release Date: October 24th 2025

Label: Pelagic Records

Format: CD / Vinyl / Digital

BALANCE EMOTIONS

Psychonaut manage to express huge swings in emotions between joy and grief in their music. Stefan de Graeff faced paternal exhilaration in anticipation of becoming a father. However, these emotions had to be balanced with emotions brought about by the terminal cancer diagnosis of his father and also the father of bass player Thomas Michiels.

The album beautifully opens with the melodies of title track World Dreams . Soft vocals and keyboards driven by a simple beat erupt into more yearning vocals creating a strong emotional feeling before things vigorously step up a grade into Endless Currents, which is more manically musical, the vocals remain Canterbury prog rock soft before exploding into screaming rage.

MAJESTICAL

You Are The Sky continually pulsates and is punctuated with Harm Peter’s piercing drumming, volcanic guitarwork , chanting vocals but calmly segues suddenly into Everything Else Is Just The Weather emanates a lighter side with echoing guitars and swaying vocals. But majestically soars to an anthemic end.

The turbulent emotions personified throughout the example a gloriously sampled in And You Came With Searing Light. Full of fury and complexity the band is at its most exuberant.

There’s a cosmic- prog feel to the opening of Origins, a gloomy soundscape gathers pace. It’s kind of Floyd meets Hawkwind in its nature; grabbing your interest from first note to last when it becomes solid metal at its best screeching to its end.

LIGHT AND DARK PATTERNS

Stargazer heralds a positive future and bursts into raucous life before a layer of more angelic vocals and catchy, intricate guitar takeover. This pattern of alternating light and dark repeats.

Mixed guitar tones continue to break down genre with the short All Was Quiet. It leads into a the final track, Endless Erosion, which again traverses from doom metal to solid rock and includes a glorious kaleidoscope of sonic complexity. Thus the whole album will appeal to fans of the former whilst also being enticing attractive to the prog rock listener.

Psychonaut will play Damnation Festival in Manchester on 9th November 2025.