Slychosis is one of those bands that I wasn’t sure to expect, mainly because of the cd cover. But as the old saying goes, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, so I popped the cd in my player with my usual open-mind. WOW I was amazed! This band reminded me of what I love about progressive rock. Their music is equal parts Genesis, Yes & Pink Floyd by way of The Beatles and Rush. The amazing part of the outcome is it’s done in such a way as not to come off as a clonish.
Slychosis is a trio, with Gregg Johns taking the role of multi-instrumentalist as well as lead vocalist. Joining Gregg is, James Walker on bass and Todd Sears on drums. It’s always amazes to me, as a fan, to hear a band with so few players sound so big. I know that may come off as sounding like an amateur but remember I’m just a fan not a journalist.
One of the qualities of this cd that makes it special, in my mind, is the perfect usage of narration. Just enough to help tell their story and never wearing out it’s welcome. The other quality I like about this band is the way they merge their influences into something fresh sounding. These guys have more talent than most of the popular progressive rock bands out there. I hope the right people listen to this band’s music and see that Slychosis has all the elements that make up a great progressive rock band.
I don’t have a favorite song on this self titled release because, and this is not a cop-out, I enjoy each of the songs equally. One interesting song is the last track, EVP (Electronic Voice Phenomena) where the band infuses voices from beyond the grave in with the excellent closure to a great debut.
In closing, I would whole heartedly recommend Slychosis to fans of the afore mentioned bands. I can't wait to hear what the band will give us next!
Reviewed by Ron Fuchs on September 19th, 2006
