Psychostick brought laughs and metal to Dayton

The pioneers of the "humorcore" genre Psychostick performed at McGuffey's House of Rock in Dayton as a part of their "XMas Tour" in which much of the set was derived from their 2007 album "The Flesh Eating Rollerskate Holiday Joyride." The tour was a product of fan demand for the anti-holiday tunes, along with many of the group's signature numbers, like "Beer" and "Because Boobs."

The band entranced the lively and liquored Saturday night crowd with gut wrenching metal, comedy routines, and heavy audience participation. Vocalist Rob "Rawrb" Kersey, Guitarist Josh "The Jay" Key, Bassist Matty J "Moose", and Drummer Alex "Shamalex" played a little over one hour in a set that was full of surprises and was cleverly planned, with many hilarious interactions between band members.

The show kicked off with "Welcome to the Show," a song that pokes fun at the monotony of rock concerts and how they start. The band took part in several comedic routines, including forming a "slow motion mosh" with the crowd, and initiating a silent breakdown, in which the band jumped as if there was a heavy groove occurring when it was silent.

They played songs off their holiday album such as "Jolly Old Sadist" and "Jingle Bell Metal." They also played tracks off their most recent release, "Space Vampires Vs. Zombie Dinosaurs in 3-D."

At the end of the show, the band launched into the "one song anyone knows by us in the universe," which was "Beer."

The band will hit Toledo and Cleveland next on their tour, finishing out their Ohio stint.

"I was very pleased with the turnout tonight, I didn't know what to expect," Kersey said after the show.

Kersey also said that his main goals for the band were to sellout 500 to 1,000 seat venues and to be memorable in the eyes of their audience.

"There's a saying in marketing, 'love me or hate me but do not forget me'" Kersey said. "We want people to remember us, love us or hate us."