Psyclon Nine | |
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Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
Genres |
Aggrotech Electro-industrial Industrial metal Black metal |
Years active | 1999–2010 2011–2014 2015–present |
Labels | Metropolis |
Associated acts | Dawn of Ashes, Dismantled, Urilia, Nocturne, Tactical Sekt, Mushroomhead, Columbine |
Members | Nero Bellum Rotny Ford |
Past members | Raanen Bozzio Brent Ashley Kriz Dk Jon Siren Glitch NIX Merritt Vlixx Vaden Abbey Nex Daniel Fox VII Josef Heresy Eric Gottesman Daniel Columbine |
Psyclon Nine is an American musical group formed in 1999 and originally from San Francisco, California. The band currently resides in Hollywood, California, and is led by vocalist Marshall Goppert under the stage name Nero Bellum.
While their early efforts are generally categorized as aggrotech, later releases incorporated a disparate set of musical and aesthetic influences, notably black metal and industrial metal. They belonged to the so-called “second wave” of American harsh EBM, along with bands such as Dawn of Ashes, Die Sektor, and Tactical Sekt.
The group went on their first hiatus at the end of 2010 due to Bellum’s opiate addiction, but returned to the stage in October 2011 for a performance in New York and released their last album Order of the Shadow: Act 1 in 2013.
After Rotny Ford and Jon Siren quit the band in March 2014, Nero Bellum stated on his personal Facebook page that he wanted to perform one last series of concerts before putting an end to the band. Live band members Dorian Starchild (guitar), Brent Ashley (bass), and Kriz Dk (drums) joined Psyclon Nine for their final performances.
A remix for the band Limnus entitled The Devils Are Inside the Walls (Psyclon Nine remix) was released in August 2014, followed by a second hiatus that lasted 8 months.
On April 13, 2015, Psyclon Nine created a new official Facebook page and announced a live performance at the L.A. Dark United Underground in Los Angeles, CA on May 2, 2015. The reformed lineup featured Nero Bellum (vocals), Dorian Starchild (guitars), Ashes (guitars), and Raanen Bozzio (drums). They went on to do a few more shows, resulting in Psyclon Nine returning as a live band. Raanen Bozzio was subsequently replaced by Anthem on electronic drums.
Psyclon Nine began in 1999 when roommates, Marshall Goppert and Josef (last name unknown) created an industrial metal music project called "Defkon Sodomy", influenced by bands like KMFDM and Ministry. The band only performed under that name twice before changing it to Psyclon Nine. The name was a malapropism of Zyklon B, the trade name of hydrogen cyanide used in the gas chambers during the Holocaust. The “Nine” was used because of the number’s significance in Aleister Crowley’s numerological writings. Around this time, Marshall and Josef took on their stage names as Josef Heresy, and Nero Bellum. Nero's name was taken from the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar, and Bellum is Latin for war.