THE FIRE IS REAL. Psychothermia is the product of brotherhood, hard work, dedication, and a touch of insanity. A unique four-piece hard rock band from San Diego, CA, members Johan Maldonado (vocals), Jon Russo (guitar), Mike Russo (drums), and Chenzo Vidalez (bass) have performed together for years and developed a reputation for fierce energy; honing their skills with a previous group. Taking this undeniable chemistry coupled with a fresh new project, Psychothermia officially made their performance debut on April 22, 2012, and are already pushing the envelope in both music and art. No parlor tricks here, the band met with stunt legend Lane Leavitt for a first-of-its-kind band photo/video shoot: being set ablaze to represent the intensity of their music, a burning desire to succeed, and to put up a smoking middle finger to any who want to hold them back. In addition to taking their image to the next level, Psychothermia worked with notorious producer Fred Archambault (Avenged Sevenfold) on pre-production and mixing for several tracks off their debut EP Slash & Burn, on top of filming two powerful music videos for their first singles. Not bad for an independent band. It will all come together this summer and fall with big plans and even bigger ambitions… Psychothermia will light the sky.

Prior to April 22, 2012, the band was known as “Canobliss” however legal issues led to a name change. Here are some notable accomplishments achieved under the old name:

The band has toured through 14 states; received three nominations for San Diego Music Awards; opened for legends Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold, Stone Sour, Hell Yeah, Biohazard, & more; had songs featured on 7+ extreme sports and motorsports DVDs; performed live at three different Six Flags theme parks; released three albums with one hitting #1 at several college radio stations across the country and another achieving placement on the cable TV show Music Choice Metal; and earned some impressive reviews, for example…

“Why the f**k aren’t these guys signed to a major label? Seriously, if any major/independent label A&R’s are reading this review, then sign these guys immediately, at least track them down and give them a bit of your time. It’ll be a travesty if they don’t make it as I think they are one of the best bands to come out of the US in the past few years.” — Steve Green (Live4Metal.org)

More impressive still is that the band has accomplished all this without the help of an external record label, manager, or booking agent. They have pushed forward in an immensely competitive industry and gained traction through their own sheer determination, talent, and drive.

…you’ve been warned.