Sykotyk Rampage - "69" Album Review!!

It's now time for our 175th monthly CD review at The Sault Metal Scene, and first one of 2024, but with a change of plans. I had originally planned to look at local rapper Tristan "Bold Noize" Goslow's debut punk album "God Save Me", as it was next in chronological order for our backlog of new album releases (it came out in August 2023), but curiously, Bold Noize has deleted it from major streaming services. Some retain the album listing, but with only two songs remaining to hear. Shoulda bought it at the time, I guess! A new album named "Pat's Legacy" was released last fall, but it is a hip hop album like normal for him. I have no idea why Tristan took "God Save Me" down, but if it resurfaces next month (or if someone sends me it), I can still review it as a "new" release then. Instead for this month, we'll look at the album I had pencilled in for next month, that being local alternative/blues jam rock quartet Sykotyk Rampage's 69th album... "69"!

Alternately known as "LXIX", this album was released to Sykotyk Rampage's Bandcamp page on August 12th, and was recorded in town at The Cave at River Front Recreation Studios in their usual improvised fashion. Singer/drummer Paul Becker, his brother Dirk (guitar/vocals), Shane Kokis (guitar), and Tony Briglio (bass) all return for "69", which was their second studio album released last year. You can buy it above for $15 and stream the whole thing for free there as well as on major streaming services like Spotify & YouTube, but consider buying it to support the masters of the crash! With 19 songs running for about 86 minutes, this'll be a long one, but let's kick off our first album review of the year!

"69" begins with "For Your Hand", which opens with a slow bass line from Tony and some very slow and gradual input from everyone else. This song is 100% influenced by their blues side, but Tony aside, the song moves at a snail's pace with very sporadic and muffled singing from Paul, and aside from some guitar distortion, this song just plods along in first gear. This is not my favourite style of Sykotyk Rampage, especially not as an album opener, but if you like slow jam blues, you may disagree. Next up is "Gigalo" (sic), which immediately fades in to a full band performance with a swinging bass line and more of a fun atmosphere that is closer to what I like out of this band! Sticking to the swing vibes isn't ideal, but this at least feels like something that they could play live and get a crowd going. Paul's vocals are clearer and more prominent, and Dirk & Shane get more to do with their riffs, so this is an improvement!

A tad repetitive by the end, but "Gigalo" does mark an upturn in the album at this early stage, but does song #3 ("Rock Garden") keep that going? Yes, this is an aptly named garden! If you're familiar with the more freewheeling jam rock seen on songs like "9 Days", this will have an immediate appeal, with noisy soundscape effects, a chaotic guitar solo, distinct bluesy vocals, and an upbeat rocking vibe. The wheel was not reinvented here, but long-time fans will be right at home! The fourth track is named... "Tracks", which uses a distinctly choppy guitar riff that reminds me of something that you'd play on a 1980s synthesizer, but it builds and builds upwards while also incorporating Paul's typically deep & bluesy voice. It's an undeniably catchy song, but it feels unfinished, and not because of an abrupt ending!

There are multiple shorter songs on offer, but the song feels like it never reaches the climax that the building and tempo-raising would lead you to believe, instead sort of ebbing out at the end. Good song, but there's something here that they could tap into to make it better. Next is "Wardog", a shorter song that is largely driven by Paul, with his vocals and drums largely directing the path of the song, especially early. Fun song with aggression re: the wardog on the prowl, but the relatively reserved guitar work does hold it back for me. The promisingly named "Rock N Roll Syko" follows, which is the first song on offer with Dirk Becker on lead vocals. Fans of Dirk-sung tracks with a punk influence will take this one's energy and intensity (complete with sirens), but the vocal processing (including Paul's backing work) is very overdone and almost feels like it was intentionally recorded using a lo-fi setup. This song would kill in live concerts though!

Seventh on "69" is "Wheels Of Blood",  which fades into motion with some fuzzy distortion to its trippier guitar and bass work. This initially contrasts with Paul's singing, but the song gets heavier and noisier with time. In this case, tjhe build works well, with the "blue Chinese metal crash punk" increasingly coming into focus while Paul's vocals move from complimentary to like-minded in a good way. Fun song and an early highlight, especially if you like heavier and faster SKR! Then we have "Circus", which is an instrumental. I don't know if they were trying to capture the essence of a circus with this song or not, but the music on offer reminds me more of carnival music, if very sykotyk in tone. There are better and more substantial songs on this album, but it's a fun little track with a bouncy guitar rhythm, but the ending faded out a little abruptly for me.

Ninth on the album is "Roll On", which is a slower and more drawn out number featuring very deliberate, almost atmospheric instrumental tracks. A comparison could be made to "For Your Hand", but this works better because there's more going on musically, almost as if Sykotyk Rampage are doing their take on a Pink Floyd-esque song. It's still raw and crashy, with Paul's unmistakable vocals layered in (almost inaudible at points), and while it's not quite my cup of tea, I admire the change of pace! The midpoint of "LXIX" comes on "Shadows", the first of five straight 5+ minute songs on offer. This track chugs along with steady yet familiar bluesy rock riff, Paul singing in the background, and a good amount of layered intensity from the guys! The guitar solo tease should have led to more, and it gets a little repetitive, but this a dependable rocker for fans that doesn't rock the boat at all!

Next is "Rocks To Run Over", which is the longest song on the album, running for almost 7 minutes. After some spacey effects and pounding percussion, we hear the Becker brothers trading off on vocals, and it's nice to hear Dirk's quavery punk snarl again here! This song is probably best described as "organized chaos", with Paul & Dirk shouting over each other atop a solid, alt-hard rock song that would work just as well as an instrumental, complete with those space noises for some zest, and it never feels overlong either despite its length! One of the better songs on the album, especially if you don't over-analyze it! From here, the next six songs all see their runtimes gradually decrease, starting with "Death", which features Dirk on lead vocals again (though Paul does speak at the beginning). This almost has a funk rock vibe, if deliberately played, but it's a good showcase for Tony on here, despite some over-distortion.

I'd have sped this song up to better reflect Dirk's punkier vocals, but it's a good track with one of the better guitar solos, and it again shows Sykotyk Rampage expanding their sound in an effective way! Then we hear "Hourglass", which also has Dirk singing lead, but here, his vocals are in more of a direct contrast to the music, which is very drawn out the point of being meandering, something which only gets worse as the song goes along. Like "For Your Hand", I really don't feel this song, and Sykotyk Rampage's strengths aren't in slow, drawn out songs like this, but your mileage may vary. The peculiarly named "Uffomamoot" is next, and the first two minutes are an experimental noise performance featuring some discordant noises, distorted guitar, and a bit of a trancey ambiance, with Paul saying the song's title over and over (it could be a sample, granted).

The next 3:30+ is more of the traditional crash music we've come to expect from the Beckers and crew, albeit more "Uffomamoot!" recitations between actual lyrics, and some of the trippier effects are blended in somewhat. The song ends with a softer and more muffled coda. Interesting song that phases from the unfamiliar to the familiar and back, and a definite jump in quality (for me) from "Hourglass"! Next is "The Adapted", which has Dirk singing lead once again. This is a mid-tempo, slightly ominous rocker with Paul supplying some backing vocals, and while I prefer more aggressive songs from Dirk, this has a dark tone to it and it strikes me as something that could have fit their "Genius Mushrooms..." albums in theme. Solid jam that has the right ambiance in mind even if it's not an all-out rocker! Song #16 is named "Your Hand In My Pocket And It Grows" ( I didn't title it!).

A straight-forward blues rocker with a faster pace, this has Paul back on lead vocals, initially singing with just Tony on bass before other instruments kicked in. Innuendo-laden title and lyrics aside, this song doesn't have a major hook or variance from similar tracks on prior albums, but it's a fun song for what it is, and will please fans of their more bluesy rock numbers! We next hear "Glisten Blood" which is the shortest song on "69". The Dirk-heavy late stretch of this album continues here, with his distinct vocals taking the lead on another trippier, distortion-heavy song that is definitely driven by the lyrics over the music. I'd have put these vocals on something heavier and more sinister, especially given the themes and title, but it works well enough for what it is! The penultimate song on this album is "Rock N Roll Again", a slower composition with Paul back on lead vocals.

While deliberately paced, it gets by with impassioned vocals from Paul, who hits a few notes we don't often hear from him, and everyone performs to their strengths, so it's an effective song, if not as structured as some of the others on offer. They've rocked n' rolled again harder on other tracks, but fans should enjoy it! "69" ends with "Rock Giant", which isn't terribly fast paced but has a steady rocking intensity complete with strong bass from Tony, and Paul's vocals are as forceful and deep as ever! I like my Sykotyk Rampage more free-wheeling than this, but the album ends strongly!

So, what are my final thoughts on Sykotyk Rampage's 69th album? Not a bad album that, while having it's uneven moments, shows the guys expanding their sound and trying some different things, and given how long they've been going, you can't fault that! Compared to the last album of theirs that I reviewed on here (2022's "Scott's Pub & Crash Music"), this is definitely a more experimental album, for better or worse, with the band putting less of an emphasis on free-wheeling jam rock, and I wouldn't even say there's a new drinking song for that shelf of their catalog. Everyone performs well, between Paul's distinctively bluesy vocals and steady drumming, Dirk & Shane's effective riffs, and Tony's clear bass work, and it was nice to hear Dirk on lead vocals on five songs (four more than on "Scott's Pub & Crash Music"!). "Rock Garden", "Wheels Of Blood", and "Rocks To Run Over" were among my favourite cuts.

In terms of drawbacks... I really wouldn't have bothered with the slow and meandering "For Your Hand" & "Hourglass", some songs (especially with Dirk singing) should have been punkier to match his voice, and I would have liked to have seen a few more guitar solos, Still, "69" is a solid release that shows Sykotyk Rampage putting their environ-mental suits to the test in some different soundscapes while still retaining their tried-and-true recording methods, so buy or stream it at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what are we reviewing next month? Our new album backlog is still lingering, and while new local classical metal solo project Sell This!' debut album "Empires Everywhere" was tapped to follow "69", it being the February review is dependent on if Bold Noize's "God Save Me" remains unavailable by late February.

I do want to review "God Save Me" (I hope Tristan didn't pull it due to bad feedback, as what I heard was promising), but if it doesn't turn up by next month, it won't really be "new" anymore. That album or Sell This! will be next, so stay tuned in any event, and for more news and notes on the site in the coming days! Thanks everyone!