Sykotyk Rampage - "WYRD Radio 2: Kype The Jesus Boots" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 157th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and easily the longest album yet I've looked at in this series, namely local "blue Chinese metal crash punk" quartet Sykotyk Rampage's sixty-fifth album "WYRD Radio 2: Kype The Jesus Boots "! Depending on its sale location, the title is extended, but this is just what's on the cover art. Officially released on June 1st, this is just their fifth album since their last live concert date in 2016, but despite some long dormant periods, the masters of the crash never disbanded outright. A sequel to 2015's "WYRD Radio" in loose format but not much else, "Kype The Jesus Boots" was recorded locally at River Front Recreation Studios as usual, with their tried-and-true method of improvising the songs on the fly, and it features their current lineup, including singer/drummer Paul Becker, his brother Dirk on guitar and vocals, guitarist Shane Kokis, and bassist/vocalist Tony Briglio.

"WYRD Radio 2" is on sale for $25 on Bandcamp or $9.99 on Reverbnation (yes, you can stream it for free too), and the high Bandcamp fee is justified when you consider that this is a triple album with forty tracks and a run-time of over two & a half hours! As such, to rein in the length of this review, I'm going to be more succinct with the song reviews to try and keep this post at a more manageable length (famous last words), but note that about ten of the tracks are spoken word announcements. Between the Reverbnation and Bandcamp postings of this album, track titles are sometimes not identical across both platforms, so I'll lean towards using the Reverbnation titles (which are laid out cleaner) unless there's a massive discrepancy that Bandcamp can fill, so look for brackets. Also, for readers of a more religious/Christian faith, be advised of the subversive and not always family friendly basis of the lyrics & concept.

To start, "WYRD Radio" is Sykotyk Rampage's fictional radio station (no link whatsoever to the actual WYRD stations in South Carolina), with station IDs read by Tony (I think) and on-air DJs being synthesized computer voices. As revealed in "Announcement 1" (a.k.a. "Intro), the female robot DJ (named Lisa) informs us that we'll be listening to a rock opera of the three gospels according to Paul (each of the three "albums" reflects a stage in the life of Jesus Christ), with Sykotyk Rampage pulling a Chris Gaines by playing these albums under the band name Kype The Jesus Boots. Unlike the DJ (who doesn't shy away from content to be heard in the albums), the actual gospel narrator is a straight-laced British male voice who plays it 100% straight and doesn't (initially) let on about any of the ribald or violent lyrics ahead, starting with "Book 1" on the gospel of Jesus' birth. If you wanted a Sykotyk Rampage Christmas album, here you go!

The first true song is "Place Of My Own Creation",  which is actually a re-recording from their 2016 album "Kock Block Rock". A standard bluesy hard rocker that Sykotyk Rampage fans will be very accustomed to, it also has a long bass intro & some spacey effects. but Paul's vocals only come in late and more spoken than sung. Solid opener for fans! Next is "Donkey Saves The Day" (complete with bookended donkey noises), which keeps with their usual M.O. with a bluesy hard rock base and brisk tempo, though Paul is really buried on vocals. Fun jam rocker with trancey guitars, if not a sonic jump from their best known originals! "Influence Of The Innovator" concludes the trip to the manger, and this is the only song on the first two books with Dirk Becker's quavery punk snarl on lead vocals, if very buried in the mix. This track is a long and slow stream of consciousness piece that does meander a little too much for my liking on the whole.

Strong drumming, but the quiet vocals and deliberate pacing do interrupt the album's prior flow for me. "Announcement 2" (a.k.a. "Birth of Jesus") follows with a word from our sponsors, namely the audio of the infamous Flintstones TV commercial for Winston cigarettes, before the narrator sets up events in the manger immediately after Jesus' birth. The next actual song is "Star Shine", which has more of a slow, ethereal beginning before the usual Sykotyk tropes fall into place, and while the speed ebbs and flows, it gets into the usual chaos in time! Paul's vocals are also very prominent here, and vary well as the mood changes, but I prefer their songs that are more full-bore heavy. "The Sky Is Burning Bright" follows with a spacier fuzz guitar motif underneath their standard Paul-fronted crash music intensity, and while the song is fun for fans, the extra static from the effects doesn't help for clarity (despite a VERY clear guitar outro).

An album-low 13 seconds long intro track follows, namely "Announcement 3" (a.k.a. "Jesus Travels"), with the narrator setting up the voyage of the Three Wise Men. The next proper song is "See Right Through Me", which is a mid-tempo rocker that has some fun extended guitar solos, but the extended progression is very simple and kinda flat, and for me, it's just not as interesting as their heavier and faster originals. The relatively short "We Three Kinks" (sic) is next with the return of the spacey effects of "The Sky Is Burning Bright", but this is a quicker, more free-wheeling driver of a song, and it's fun while it lasts aside from Paul being nearly inaudible on vocals. No, this isn't a cover of "We Three Kings". Then we have "Give You Anything", and things fall together for what I like out of Sykotyk Rampage here, with a clear listen to them delivering up-tempo bluesy hard rock!

The extended bass-and-drum bridge lets Tony show his stuff well too, and without extra effects or processing, Paul's crystal clear vocals add to the experience, so fans will be right at home here! Shame about the abrupt fade-out though. The last song of the first "album" is "Jesus Boot Boogie", a fast dancey song that sticks to Sykotyk Rampage's wheelhouse, if in a hazier, less clear recording style. Hard to hear Paul's singing again, but the guys don't do anything out of the ordinary as pure musicians, so it's a fun closer to the nativity portion of the album(s)! "Announcement 4" (a.k.a. "Jesus Gets Laid") has "Lisa" recapping her amusingly oblivious thoughts about the prior songs and Jesus' early life, before setting up "Book 2" about the life of Jesus in his 20s. A commercial break comes next, with audio from classic 1960s cereal commercials for Cheerios (with Bullwinkle), Beep Beep (with the Road Runner)...

... and Alpha Bits (with Bugs Bunny & Elmer Fudd). The narrator finally returns to introduce the second album about the gospel of Jesus' life, starting with John, chapter 9, where Jesus encounters a blind man and helps cure his eyesight, leading directly into the first song of this book, "Jesus Left You Blind (On Purpose)". This song doesn't reinvent the wheel for the masters of the crash, with the bluesy hard rock you've come to expect, but the guitar riff is extremely repetitive and aside a couple of choruses, it never lets up. Still a solid clear rocker for fans! Next is "Kype The Jesus Boots", after the band name Sykotyk Rampage have taken on in the album's universe, but don't expect a shift in sound here. A driving rock song with a more varied structure, this is another one to really muffle and layer the vocals, but beyond that, the fun riffing and bouncy music will appeal to fans! We even get a drum solo from Paul late, which is neat!

"Remember That Girl" (spelled "Grrrl" on Bandcamp) follows with an outsider-ish opening before the full band jumps in, and while the song is slower, bassier, and more discordant than normal for them. The noise rock and abrupt ending alone puts this low on the album for me, but Paul's clear singing does give it some extra points. Next up is "Jesus Booty Call", which is a return to form for Sykotyk Rampage, with Paul's forceful bluesy vocals driving the action, though in this case, the band proper are quieter and more used as incidental backing music. Fun track though, if very risque in theme! "Announcement 5" (also named for the next track on Bandcamp) follows, with "Lisa" introducing a vintage TV commercial for the women's headache/pain relief medicine Cope before the narrator quotes passages from Luke and Mark to introduce Mary Magdalene, who is definitely portrayed as Jesus' love interest here.

For further proof, the next song is entitled "Magdalene Is A Screamer", which is the most punk-based song on the album yet, and while it is a little one note for a 5+ minute song, it's fun hearing the guys rock out like this, and Dirk & Shane's riffing meshes well together! The mid-way point of this triple album is reached with "Jesus Love Potion", a slower plodding blues rocker that isn't energetic or varied enough for my liking compared to many earlier songs, but it is a good lyrical showcase for Paul while it lasts. The second half of "WYRD Radio 2" begins with "Eat Shit Bitch", which is similar in sound and pacing to the preceding track, but it is livelier in structure and lyrics, and the title does hint towards some extra fire and intent in this way! Better song, but I like my Sykotyk Rampage with more rampage. The last song of the second album is "Devil Dance For You", a seven minute song bookended with minute long soundscapes of samples.

Once the band proper is in action, this is another relatively slow track, but very impactful with strong vocals, good effects usage, and a nice energy that helps set it apart from the other recent mid-tempo or slow songs! "Announcement 6" (a.k.a. "Dinner") wraps up the book of Jesus' life, with "Lisa" giving her thoughts about Mary Magadalene, and giving alleged insight into Mary Magdalene's life after this point, before setting up "Book 3", the last third of the triple album about Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection. The narrator then quotes Bible passages relating to the Last Supper and Jesus' betrayal, though here, there are obvious new lines of dialogue relating to what exactly they were eating and Judas' future hopes. The first song of the final album is "Life Without Me", which is a return to form for fans who want more upbeat rock, though the vocals aren't super clear.

Fun rocker that would go over well live, but for fans boring through the whole thing in one sitting, it's nothing you haven't heard before. Next is "Last Supper Whine" (sic), which is a distortion-heavy song that serves more to showcase Paul's bluesy singing, which is back to direct clarity, but you do get some solid bass from Tony and a bit of a fun guitar solo in the background. Not super heavy, but fun for what it is! "By Your Hand" follows with a chugging train-esque riff that never seems to stop, only varying when Paul chimes in with some sporadically timed lyrics and shouts, all fuzzily mixed (and with no drums). Announcements aside, this song is the most like filler on here, and it's almost 5 minutes long! Speaking of which, we have "Announcement 7" (a.k.a. "The Cross") next, which leads off with the audio from a 1960s TV commercial for Chesterfield filtered cigarettes.

The narrator then returns to set up Jesus Christ's crucifixion (albeit with way more off-kilter details not in the Bible), before moving to the quick 2 minute song "(The) 12 Steps Of Rehabilitation". This is actually an instrumental, and it is more of a garage rock song, so it's an interesting change of pace, though whether it fits the lead-up to the crucifixion is subjective. Things return to musical normalcy with "Only 1 Nail To Hang A Picture Of Jesus" (they have a point), which has a bit of a funk rock vibe while sticking to the tried-and-true sykotyk formula! Paul does chime in a bit on vocals late, and someone suggests a smoking break at the end, but this is effectively another instrumental, and it's interesting to see that the guys are opting not to add lyrics at the most dramatic part of the story. Reminds me of Gonzo and Rizzo skipping Stave 4 of The Muppet Christmas Carol. Fun song though!

Track #30 is "Purple Jesus", which ends the album's instrumental break with Paul back on proper lead vocals. A fuzzy and hazy blues rocker, the lyrics do resonate more than some others at this stage, and while it's not a bad song, I do wish it was clearer and more direct. "Announcement 8" (a.k.a. "Life Again") is next to set up Jesus' resurrection with some comically archaic and subversive dialogue about Mary Magdalene discovering that he has returned. The shortest of the thirty actual songs is next, namely the 99 seconds-long "You Changed It All", an against type (mostly) acoustic ballad that lets Paul's distinctively bluesy voice shine, and it's a shame that it's so short! "Save Me From Myself" follows with a return to musical form with a distorted heavy progression, if very muddled, with drums & vocals coming in & out,  a lot of feedback, and some eerie backing vocals. Noise rock fans may dig this, but I'd want structure.

In the next song, "Damn Living Again", we tie things back to what Sykotyk Rampage do best outright, with a direct bluesy hard rock structure, solid instrumentation (including a quality guitar solo) and clear production, with Paul letting off some surprising screams at varying points! Definitely a late highlight for me, and not overlong either! Next is "Same Shit Different Day", a more drawn out, deliberate song that lets the guys jam out but isn't as blatantly engaging for fans of the crash side of their "blue Chinese metal crash punk". Well constructed and clear, but it does drag a bit for me. "Announcement 9" (a.k.a. "Jesus Bus") gives us a 31 second narration about the resurrected Jesus and Mary Magdalene taking off in their rock n' roll bus (it makes sense in context), before we get the song called "Jesus Rock N' Roll Bus" next, which finally sees the return of Dirk on lead vocals for the second time.

A chugging rocker with punk influences, Dirk gets his "Lowest of the Low" on for both of his verses, but they're not the primary feature of the song. Not a bad rock number while it lasts, and the non-sequitur turn helps add to the album appeal! We shift gears next for a rare studio cover of theirs, namely of "The Watcher" (titled by them as "Jesus Is The Watcher") by British space rock band Hawkwind. Many of you will know that late Lemmy Kilmister was their bassist in the early 1970s, and he wrote this song and later played it with Motorhead, so it will not surprise Sykotyk Rampage fans to learn that Tony is on lead vocals for their cover. Is the idea that Tony is voicing Jesus singing this song while on tour in the rock n' roll bus? Presented as a faux live recording with a canned audience track, this version hews closer to Hawkwind than Motorhead, and while not mimicking Lemmy's vocals here, Tony gets the job done!

The song proper is a little meandering and out of Sykotyk Rampage's comfort zone, but it's not bad, and it would be interesting to hear them cover more established songs! "Announcement 10" (a.k.a. "End of Show") concludes "Lisa"'s broadcast day, where she sums up reactions to the gospels, sets up next week's "show" about alien abduction cases (if this will be "WYRD Radio 3" or not, I can't say), and introduces the final track, a fan request for a song by Sykotyk Rampage, who sound a lot like Kype The Jesus Boots! This is a re-recording of "White Stallion" from their 2009 album "22", and is again presented as a faux live recording with a raucous crowd added in post. The longest song on this triple album, this is the third and final track on offer with Dirk on lead vocals, and I do remember it from back in the day (impressive given the 900+ tracks in their discography!) The song proper is unchanged, but this is definitely a re-recorded version.

A dark yet punk-infused song that makes great use of Dirk's distinctive vocals, this is a fun closer to the album with strong instrumentation, and while not linked to the Jesus stuff at all, I enjoyed hearing it again! Alright, after thirty songs and ten announcements, what are my final thoughts on "WYRD Radio 2"? It's one hell of a marathon to listen to in a 2½ hour sitting, but pre-indoctrinated fans of Sykotyk Rampage with their environ-mental suits on will be right at home! This is easily the longest album I've ever reviewed for the SMS, so it does help that the Beckers, Shane, and Tony didn't change their existing formula too much, and most of what's on offer delivers the blues-laden improvised hard rock fans know and love, even if the rate of album releases has dramatically slowed since the mid-2010s. The conceptual theme, while perhaps controversial for more religious people, is amusing and I wasn't offended by it.

I haven't reviewed the first "WYRD Radio" (linked to this album only by the radio station conceit), but high concept stuff like this is always impressive to see from local bands, and kudos to them for sticking with it for three albums' worth! Songs like "Give You Anything", "Jesus Booty Call", and "Damn Living Again" capture their original, distinct sound very well, but there's way too much to succinctly sum up. For negative points, my biggest issue was the inconsistent clarity, with too many songs recorded in fuzzy conditions with Paul's vocals buried in the mix. Also, the lyrics could have went even further to tie into the religious subversion themes than they did. For newcomers to the original crash band, I do not recommend starting your sykotyk voyage with this album though, as it's a lot to take in at once. I'd start with either "22" or one of their "Greatest Hits" albums, so you get a feel for their best known songs first.

Plus, fans of Dirk's lead vocals will be disappointed by him only singing lead on 10% of the actual songs, where many of their shorter albums had a higher percentage for his vocal input. Still, if you're prepared for a ribald conceptual marathon of new Sykotyk Rampage music, "WYRD Radio 2" will deliver the goods more often than not, and hopefully they emerge from The Cave with more new stuff down the road! I hope you liked this month's CD review, and we'll have a much, much shorter review in August when we finally look at local indie/punk quintet The Northwest's new EP "All In"! Look for that then, and for more on the site next week! Thanks everyone!

LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS (Soundcheck), More Local Artists On You Rock!, And Other Updates!!

In this final weekend with vaccine passports in the province, the hard rock concert calendar is very slim, but some SHORT NOTICE LOCAL CONCERT ALERTS have hit my news desk in time to give them some coverage before it is too late! Rounding things out, we do have some assorted notes from a popular Facebook group, and some local content on a popular indie music showcase series, so here's what you should know!

Local classic/hard rock cover quartet Soundcheck will return to Reggie's West for traditional concerts TONIGHT & TOMORROW NIGHT! Apologies for the short notice, the band only confirmed these dates via their official Facebook page yesterday, but this is relatively common for their gig announcements, alas. TONIGHT & TOMORROW'S shows do follow their regular Thursday night role as open mic night hosts at the Reggievelt, but traditionally, we don't cover open mic nights as "concerts" on the SMS due to their unpredictable nature and variable performance length of the hosts. Open mic nights aside, this is Soundcheck's second normal concert weekend of 2022 and their first at Reggie's West in almost three months (largely thanks to the re-imposed pandemic restrictions), but with those lifted, hopefully a sizeable crowd turns out to safely rock out with their diverse but often heavy covers!

You can see Soundcheck TONIGHT & TOMORROW at 9:00 PM with no cover charge and a 19+ age limit, but be advised that this is the last concert weekend where vaccine passports are mandatory to enter nightclubs in Ontario, so do not forget yours if you come out! Starting March 1st, they're no longer required, but regardless, please use common sense regarding any posted public health measures to keep everyone safe. Visit the official Facebook event page for more details, and here's Soundcheck live!

Next up, here's some more local representation in a recent episode of Thomas Christ's independent music showcase webseries You Rock!, starting with episode #20 from January 19th! The mid-point of that episode is very locally friendly, as Thomas checks out three songs from local acts in a six song, hour+ long span (the episode runs for just over 3 hours). First up is inactive grunge trio No Arrow's song "Sikkha" (1:17:20), preceded by context about how the track came to be, and I won't get into the specifics here, especially with how they deal with band disagreements. Thomas complimented the song's raw grunge/metal hybrid feeling and how it really evokes a live performance, and it's great to see that No Arrow are still finding a strong audience so many years removed from their dissolution! Local indie rockers Man Feelings also get good praise at the 1:57:00 mark for their song "When You Win (You Win Ugly)".

That episode's local contingent ends with regularly featured You Rock! contributor Mike Haggith, specifically here via his old power pop/hard rock trio The Din's song "Missing" (2:04:05) from their last album "Suburban Dream". Thomas called this song "fantastic" and complimented it's straightforward indie vibe, live readiness, and Mike's overall professionalism. Solid thoughts as always, so give all of the local and international talent a listen above! Embedded below is episode #21 from January 26th, which features songs from both Mike Haggith and No Arrow, so what should you know there? Mike's up first at 1:54:55 when Thomas played his song "MorningStar" from 2020's "If Ever Comes The Day", and he praised the track as an "epic song", hyping up its orchestral elements and rocking vibe, especially so given that this was allegedly Mike's first song made solely on GarageBand for iOS!

As for No Arrow, their song "Genocyde Revealing Part 2" is played at 2:27:00, with frontman Dann Pichette giving some interesting thoughts on the song's origins and the band (if that explains anything!) Thomas said that the song sounded great, that it reminded him of a Nirvana b-side, and he liked the chaotic ending as well. Always solid insights from Thomas Christ (a strong musician in his own right beyond this series), and the breadth of talent from afar is always welcome in this series, so give everything a watch above & below! We'll look at more from You Rock! next week!

Finally for today, here's three assorted shorter news items, all related to posts on the Musicians Wanted Facebook group from the last few weeks! As usual, these are in alphabetical order by artist name:

 

• Former Haggith/Eclipse singer Curtis McKenzie is looking for a drummer that would be interested in jamming with his current project, who cover bands like Nirvana, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Stone Temple Pilots, and Soundgarden. A bassist is already enlisted, and Curt made it sound like he was on guitar. It'd be great to see Curtis back out there with a full band, but message him here or via his group post from two weeks ago for more details!
• In his latest Musicians Wanted post, former Bear Hunters/Skull After Betrayl guitarist Mike Vincent posted about wanting to jam in a band again, naming "rock and roll, classic rock, hard rock, and maybe some country" as preferred genres. Mike can also play drums if needed. Maybe not a return to his best known metal work is in the cards, but if you want to jam with Mike, message him at this link or via his group post on Monday!
• Mustang Sally alum Nicholas Gingras is looking for a bassist (ideally aged 17-22) who would be interested in joining his current band The Floor Between Us, who play original "experimental comedy rock", and hope to play songs that, while "straightforward harmonically", can also have simple chord progressions churned out "on the fly". The brief musical samples on their Instagram page don't tell us a ton about their sound, but just in case they could get heavy, message Nicholas at this link or via his group post on Sunday for more info!

 

That's all for today, but stay tuned for this month's YouTube Channel Profile this weekend! Thanks everyone!

A New EP Release, New Videos, And A Local Musician's New Website!!

Before everyone settles in for the Super and/or Puppy Bowl, here's a new news post on this Sunday morning! Along with belated details about a local musician's new website, a new cover performance, and more local musicians on a popular music review series, let's lead off with a surprise new album from a talented newer band, so here's what you should know!

After scattered studio work teasers in mid-2021 and over four months of public silence, new local alt-hardcore duo These Magnificent Tentacles released their debut EP "Surfacing..." onto their Bandcamp page this past Monday! The band never 100% confirmed they were working on an album, just new songs, so this was a nice surprise during a quiet stretch! Featuring their current two-man lineup of Slumshine's Brenton Ellis and ex-Pixo Control bassist Steve Edwards, "Surfacing..." was recorded at Mission Control Studios with producer/Tidal Records head Dustin Jones, and it is a short release, only containing three songs. One is "The Abyss", which was their debut single when the band launched, while the other two are titled "Sewer Sailor" & "The Sea Serpent & The Rainbow". The cover artwork appears to be a painting of Brent's, going along with his prolific visual art work.

Despite being a three song EP, "Surfacing..." costs $10 on Bandcamp, though you can stream the songs free there, and teasers of availability on other digital platforms have not come to fruition yet. No word either on a possible physical release, but for reference, Slumshine have put out CDs, and These Magnificent Tentacles have played one live concert, so the possibility is there. I won't comment on the songs yet, as it's looking very likely that "Surfacing..." will be this month's CD review on the SMS. Stay tuned for that, and check out T.M.T.'s debut EP above! 

Next up, here's a new video from prolific local metal/folk punk solo musician Chase Wigmore's Facebook page, where he covered Steve Vai's instrumental "For The Love Of God"! The video is heavily filtered with Chase's performance mirrored and de-colourized in very Rorschach test-y fashion, which is a neat look! Chase plays along to the original song very well, even if this isn't an optimal way to actually see his playing of the song given the filter, but check out this solid cover below, and stay tuned for more from him!

Also today, let's look at some more local representation on the popular indie music review series You Rock! with Thomas Christ! In the 3+ hour episode #19 from January 12th, two local acts made the cut for live reviews, including Inner City Surfers bassist Brad Example's solo song "The Queen's Secrets" (2:01:50), which Thomas positively reviewed, while we dip more into hard rock when Thomas checked out defunct local grunge trio No Arrow's song "Genocyde Revealing Part 1" (2:32:15), and he praised the song for its mix, Nirvana vibes, and it's raw, live essence. Always good thoughts from Thomas about bands here and abroad, so check out all of the talent below!

Finally, while the ever-prolific local/Thompson, Manitoba alt-hard rock musician Mike Haggith wasn't in episode #19 of You Rock!, I do have stuff to talk about from him today, via his new website, which I've put off discussing for way too long. Perhaps a very belated successor to his once exceptionally detailed Facebook page biography and discography, his cleanly laid out website gives a massive updated biography, running down Mike's career as a musician from Windsor to the Soo to Thompson. Mike's major bands (from S.C.A.R. to Between The Ditches) also get subpages outlining their runs and highlights, even considering The Din to be distinct from the acid jam era of Mike Haggith & The Din, though the articles do leave out some very minor details. Curiously, James White is not credited as a former bassist with the band Haggith, though he never performed on an album with them, so that may explain his omission.

The discography on the website only reflects The Din and solo albums Mike put out since moving to the Soo, though way back when, I did save a text document listing every album by Mike's old Rotten Records catalogue numbers, which is good for reference! You can also order Thompson-era albums through the website. Very professional looking site with great insight into Mike's career, especially in a local sense, so fans of Mike's extensive career will definitely want to check out his website above! That's all for today, but stay tuned for more news on the site this week. Thanks everyone!