RYCHUS SYN – Rebirth

Rychus Syn is a most excellent band name; one would think that the moniker was dreamed up by Bill S. Preston Esquire, and Ted “Theodore” Logan. Alas, that isn’t the case.

For those who can’t keep track of every single Heavy Metal band to have ever existed, Rychus Syn was originally formed in the late 1980s in New York by brothers Drew and Greg Maniscalco (guitars and drums, respectively). After rounding up a couple more members to fill out the lineup, Rychus Syn would release a five-song EP called License To Kill that won them some fans and some opening act slots for a variety of different bands. Thanks to creative differences, the band would never record a follow up to License To Kill and would break up. The Maniscalcos would form another band called Dr. Kayne; they too would disband after a couple of years.

Time passes…

Despite having only one official release to their name, Rychus Syn had managed to attract a cult following over the years. This would inspire the Maniscalcos to re-form the band; joining the brothers for Rychus Syn Mach II are Dan Reid (ex-Dr. Kayne lead singer) on vocals, and former Rychus Syn guitarist Damone on bass. For their comeback album entitled Rebirth, Rychus Syn would re-record the material from License To Kill and record five other songs the band had written long ago but never committed to vinyl.

Rebirth may be a new album, but it sounds like it was recorded back in the late 1980s. While the ’80s were a prime time for Glam and Hair Metal, someone forgot to tell that to Rychus Syn; what they play here is hard-hitting traditional-styled Metal: driving, Thrash-like riffs and solos, loud, in-your-face vocals, powerful drums, and lots of gritty energy and attitude. While the songs are heavy at all times, they’re catchy and melodic too. There are no keyboards or power ballads to be heard anywhere during Rebirth‘s 35-minute playing time; just lots of old-fashioned Heavy Metal. Seriously, would anyone expect a band who recorded songs titled “Power, Thunder and Steel,” “Under Attack,” “Air Raid,” and “Chemical Warfare” to perform an acoustic ballad? Rychus Syn don’t play that; they’re too busy bringing the noise to a new generation of headbangers, and they manage to do it without coming across as dated. Then again, it helps that their style of Metal has a timeless appeal.

From beginning to end, Rebirth shows no real weaknesses: it’s a consistent album, albeit one that’s a bit too short; Rebirth is a fun listen while it lasts. Rychus Syn won’t win any style points and they don’t bow to current trends with this disc, but that’s because they’re not trying to. Their thing is classic Heavy Metal, and they do a pretty good job of spreading the word.

Rebirth is a pretty strong collection of vintage-sounding Heavy Metal from Rychus Syn.