Rochester, NY's Psyopus plays an experimental form of art metal, contrasting high-grade musicianship with template-free arrangements and full-tilt-gonzo delivery often sounding like the work of Mr. Bungle or the Dillinger Escape Plan taken to the next plane of outlandishness. Formed in the fall of 2002 by wunderkind guitarist Christopher "Arpmandude" Arp (a regular columnist for Decibel magazine, and regional winner of Limp Bizkit's infamous guitarist search in 2001), vocalist Adam Frappoli, bassist Fred DeCoste, and drummer Jon Cole, the group debuted their carefully orchestrated musical chaos via 2004's Ideas of Reference. They then signed with Metal Blade Records for its 2007 sophomore successor, Our Puzzling Encounters Considered, after which Psyopus took their show on the road with other extreme metal bands like the Acacia Strain, Job for a Cowboy, and Daath. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia