MENTAL HYGIENE

US outfit SLYCHOSIS was formed in 2004, and while initially based around the compositional ideas of main man Greg Johns it would appear that the last few years have seen this project develop towards a more true-to-life band format, with the others members chiming in with their ideas in both the lyrics and music departments. "Mental Hygiene" is their third full-length production, and was issued by the Russian label MALS Records in 2010.

On "Mental Hygiene" Slychosis explores a rather varied musical landscape, with something of a basis in symphonic art rock of the less complex variety, and initial effort Geistly Suite arguably the most true-to-life progressive escapade. I'd suspect that fans of neo-progressive rock might be a key audience for this act, even if that expression in itself isn't covered to any great extent: This due to Slychosis venturing off into progressive metal, pomp rock and hard rock territories frequently, and as many neo acts have a similar approach I suspect this crowd might be one who'll find it easiest to enjoy a stylistic diversity of this nature.

Slychosis is a progressive rock band hailing from Mississippi, and Mental Hygiene is their third full-length album. The band's second album, Slychedelia, received some good reviews upon its release in 2008, so fans of that one will probably also want to look into Mental Hygiene. My enjoyment is often stifled by the muddy mix and underdeveloped arrangements, but there certainly is enough worthwhile music here to make it a solid purchase for progressive rock fans.

The music here is a mix of neo-progressive rock, symphonic prog, pop/rock, and even touches of progressive metal. There are a surprising amount of distorted guitar riffs that lead me to think of harder-edged neo prog acts like Jolly or modern-IQ efforts. There are a few weak compositions here (particularly "Importance"), but most of the album is pretty strong from a compositional standpoint. Slychosis is clearly a talented group with a knack for creating memorable prog rock songs. The main problem with this album lies in the muddy production and sometimes bland arrangements. The guitars are often too prominent in the mix, the drums lack "punch", and vocals usually don't sound great either. With a more professional production, I could see Mental Hygiene being a much more enjoyable effort.

Mental Hygiene is a fairly average prog effort when all is said and done. It doesn't set out to break any boundaries, but the album is still ultimately pleasing thanks to its strong musicianship and solid compositions. If you can look past the muddy production, there's certainly some worth to be found here. 2.5 stars are deserved in this case. If Slychosis can get a professional production next time around, I have a feeling they'll cook up something truly spectacular. As for now, this one is only recommended to fans of the band.

'Mental Hygiene' - Slychosis (5/10)

Coming from a proud line of bands that use bad puns in their name, Slychosis is a Mississippi -based act that has received some attention from listeners in the prog rock community. 'Mental Hygiene' is the band's third album, and while there are interesting ideas offered here, I will agree with other reviews I have read of this album and state that there are some things sorely lacking from Slychosis' work. Fans of brooding, melodic progressive rock should enjoy what this band offers, although expect nothing that will shake your shoes off anytime soon.

Although there is a moderate diversity and sense of dynamic here that comes along with the prog rock territory, Slychosis here sticks largely to slower tunes that range from mellow stuff, to more elaborately orchestrated material that tunes up their rock direction more. Tying all of this together are the vocals of project manager Greg Johns, who passes me as a weaker standard of Geddy Lee's (of Rush) lower register singing., although a female vocalist pops in towards the album's last track, 'Midnight'. Slychosis seems to fall into the crowd of prog bands that try to emphasize arrangements over technicality, and sometimes, the way that this act develops their sound is impressive. I found myself particularly impressed by the album's highlight, 'Fallen Tiger', which uses synthesizers and keyboardist Todd Sears' lilting vocals to create a very sorrowful soundscape. It is a real shame that some of this music is plagued by a relatively bad production, because Slychosis does do some decent stuff here as it is.

The production is by and beyond, the worst element of 'Mental Hygiene', unless you count the atrocious album cover. While some of the more symphonic moments of this album do indicate to me that there is real feeling behind the music, the production paints it in such a way as to obscure most of the details that are probably in the raw performance. It's as if a trained artist was left with murky watercolors to work with; the mixing is poor, and there is plenty of buzzing and noise where there technically shouldn't be. Generally, production is not a big issue of contention, but the problems are big enough here to notice, and especially seeing as the band are on their third album now, and decent recording technology is widespread for many people to obtain. 'Mental Hygiene' is a bland, poorly produced album to be sure, but there are enough moments where the inspiration comes through for me to withhold writing the band off.