Tuesday, October 28, 2025

YouTube Channel Profile Series - SYKOTYK RAMPAGE - Topic

It's now time for this month's YouTube Channel Profile, as we again look at a YouTube channel whose uploaded content is at least half devoted to local metal, hard rock, and/or punk artists and/or concerts, in order to spotlight their uploaded videos for modern readers! For a second time in three months, our random selection gives us the same local band's YouTube Music uploads, but via two different albums of theirs, so here's what you should know!

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SYKOTYK RAMPAGE - Topic (http://youtube.com/channel/UCkfrXp-Rf8KSTEjTarxxiOQ)

Owner: If anyone, Sykotyk Rampage guitarist/singer Dirk Becker, though the channel is auto-generated to facilitate the band's catalogue being available on YouTube Music

Channel Timeline: Launched on August 17th, 2022; Videos uploaded that day and on July 16th, 2024

Channel Summary: Four different YouTube channels exist to host parts of the back catalogue of local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage on YouTube Music, with this particular channel hosting two albums of theirs, albeit this time from two different time periods of the band featuring different bassists.

Why You Should Watch: Given how fragmented (and incomplete) Sykotyk Rampage's discography is represented on YouTube Music, this channel is really only for band completionists who regularly consume streaming music via YouTube. Their complete 70+ album discography is available on their Bandcamp page, which should be stop #1 for fans of the masters of the crash, but if you had a particular affinity for these two albums, like the ones we looked at in September, note their YouTube presence!

 Our Recommended Videos To Check Out:
 
DIRTY WOMEN: The older of the two albums here is 2008's "Blue Chinese Metal Crash Punk", one of three albums that singer/drummer Paul Becker, guitarist/his brother Dirk Becker, guitarist Shane Kokis, and then-bassist Brian Cattapan (Paul's son-in-law) put out that year. Named for the band's own description of their genre, none of these songs have visibly became setlist staples from their 2009-2017 run as a live band, and I haven't reviewed the album yet either, but it doesn't reinvent the wheel from their tried-and-true brand of improvised crash rock. The 8+ minute blues rock jam "Dirty Women" will be right up established fans' alley with a fun and carefree nature, and it lets the guys show their skills well throughout!
 

Almost Ready to Go: The longer and newer of the two albums on this particular channel is August 2014's "Kitty Farts And Other Play-Full Noises", which was among their early studio releases featuring ex-The Fury bassist Tony Briglio in place of Brian. Again, not an album that I have reviewed for the SMS yet, nor one that sourced regular songs from their late-period concerts, but it will be an accessible listen for new fans given the songs' relatively shorter length and that it's not a concept album like many of their other albums of this era. The opening song "Almost Ready To Go" is a tighter and more driving rocker with some trippier guitar flourish that would have been a live favourite if re-learned thusly!

Got You by The Balls: By far the most heard song on this particular YouTube Music channel, song #3 from "Kitty Farts..." must have gotten attention from its title more than anything, as it doesn't do anything drastically differently from their usual sykotyk formula, and Paul's singing is really buried in the mix here. Fans with their environ-mental suits at the ready will definitely be into this crash rocker, which has solid guitar riffs, but it's nothing established fans haven't heard elsewhere.

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I hope you guys liked this month's YouTube Channel Profile! Next month in this series, our next randomly selected channel to profile will be that of YouTube user videosofbedlam, featuring four videos of the late lamented local hard rock quartet Garden of Bedlam, so look for that on or around November 26th, and for a new news post next! Thanks everyone!

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