Psyopus (sometimes written as PsyOpus) was an American

mathcore Mathcore is a subgenre of hardcore punk and metalcore influenced by post-hardcore, extreme metal and math rock that developed during the 1990s. Bands in the genre emphasize complex and fluctuant rhythms through the use of irregular time signatur ...

band from

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

History

Formed in 2002, the band is noted for the unorthodox and extremely technical guitar techniques of Christopher Arp, often referred to as "Arpmandude", because he mainly uses one technique, tapping. To get endorsement deals from various guitar and amp companies, Arp had to send a live video of himself playing to prove that he could play as fast as he does. Arp considers Psyopus a technically proficient band: "I understand people not understanding us so by default the music comes across as noise but, the music makes sense to us all too much and every 16th note was scrutinized." Regarding learning to play guitar, Arp says: "I learned to play guitar in my bedroom. I got my first guitar in eighth grade. I bought Metallica tablature books, Megadeth books, guitar magazines, didn’t do homework, and just played guitar all night." The band released their 2nd album ''

Our Puzzling Encounters Considered ''Our Puzzling Encounters Considered'' is the second album by Psyopus, released on February 20, 2007. Track listing # The Pig Keeper's Daughter – 3:34 # 2 – 4:00 # Scissor Fuck Paper Doll – 3:36 # Whore Meet Liar – 1:54 # Insects – 3: ...

'' in February 2007. The techniques Arp uses have made it even more difficult to receive any endorsement. Arp himself said, "

Mesa Boogie Mesa/Boogie (also known as Mesa Engineering) is an American company in Petaluma, California, that manufactures amplifiers and other accessories for guitars and basses. It has been in operation since 1969. Mesa was started by Randall Smith as a s ...

has not done very much to sponsor me because I do too much of this," as he raised his

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

by the

whammy bar A vibrato system on a guitar is a mechanical device used to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. Instruments without a vibrato have other bridge and tailpiece systems. They add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the string ...

shaking it up and down. The band released their third studio album ''

Odd Senses ''Odd Senses'' is the third and final album by Psyopus, released on February 17, 2009 via Metal Blade Records. Musical themes In an interview with MetalSucks, Arpmandude elaborated on some of the lyrical themes present on the album saying that ...

'', on February 17, 2009. The band entered an extended hiatus in 2010. In 2011, Christopher Arp posted several videos of himself on YouTube explaining the history and eventual hiatus of Psyopus. The hiatus may have been interrupted in 2012 when a photo appeared on Arp's Facebook page showing him with Michael Van Munster and Ike Schultz. A comment on the photo by long-time Psyopus producer, Doug White, showed that he was working with the three in the studio. In October 2012, 'Metal Injection' revealed that Psyopus would reunite with three of the four original members: Chris Arp, Adam Frappolli, Fred Decoste—with drummer Jason Bauers, who was a member until the hiatus. On July 17, 2015, a YouTube account named The Infamous Arpmandude posted a video titled ''5/21/2013 Chris Arp Imogen's Puzzle and Lecture at the U of R''. In the hour and ten-minute video, Arp playing Imogen's Puzzle Pt. 2, and afterward talk about himself, his experiences playing guitar, and gives a quick rundown on the history of Psyopus. He also explains that Psyopus is no longer an active band due to frustrations and hardships.

Members

Final lineup

* Adam Frappolli - lead vocals (2002–2007, 2012) * Christopher Arp - guitar (2002–2012) * Fred DeCoste - bass (2002–2007, 2012) * Jason Bauers - drums, percussion (2007–2012)

Former members

* Brian Woodruff - vocals (2008–2010) * Greg Herman - drums, percussion (2002–2004) (Shield Your Eyes, Valpurga, Inertia, Kalibas, Low Ton, North American Wildlife) * Lee Fisher - drums, percussion (2004–2005) (Commit Suicide, Overlord Exterminator, Fawn Limbs) * Corey Barnes - drums, percussion (2005–2006) (Paria) * Jon Cole - drums, percussion (2006–2007) (POWERWOLVES, FINISHER) * Harrison Christy - lead vocals (2007–2008) (The Jefferson Plane Crash) * Michael Horn - bass (2007–2009) (The Osedax, Mod Flanders Conspiracy) * Travis Morgan - bass (2009 touring) (Atheist) * Brian Kelly - bass (2009 touring) * Brent Glover - bass (2009 touring) (Bellicist, Reciprocal)

Timeline

Discography

*2004: ''

Ideas of Reference Ideas of reference and delusions of reference describe the phenomenon of an individual experiencing innocuous events or mere coincidences and believing they have strong personal significance. It is "the notion that everything one perceives in the ...

'' (

Black Market Activities Black Market Activities (BMA) is an American independent record label that was founded in 2003 by Guy Kozowyk, the frontman of the Boston, Massachusetts-based extreme metal band the Red Chord. History Black Market Activities was started with ...

) *2007: ''

'' ( Metal Blade) *2009: ''

'' (Metal Blade)

References

External links

Psyopus article
March 2009
Interview with Arp of PsyopusWay Too Loud interviewhardcoresounds.net interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Psyopus Musical groups established in 2002 Heavy metal musical groups from New York (state) American avant-garde metal musical groups American progressive metal musical groups Musical quartets Metal Blade Records artists Black Market Activities artists 2002 establishments in New York (state)