Shyko, the project of Chris Szajko (pronounced Shy-ko) is ten tracks of heavy guitar work and vocals that put one in mind of early Stone Temple Pilots or Sammy Hagar-era Van Halen. This dude can play guitar like mother-effing riot.
Track One, “Behind You” has already hit number one in some radio markets and after listening to this track a few times through I can see why. The track starts hard and stays so through the whole three and half minutes.
Sadly, few of the other tracks on the ten-track album manage to capture the raw intensity of “Behind You.” That’s not to say they’re bad – Shyko’s guitar skills never flag, but it’s more a case of too much of a good thing. The remaining tracks just seem to be more of the same stuff, though arranged differently with the obligatory metal power-ballad, “Waiting for You” that almost manages to channel Axl Rose and company circa the late eighties.
Of course, the final track on this album, a cover of Ted Nugent’s “Free for All” is a great romp through some fertile nostalgic fields in the minds of those older than 35.
If you’re into guitar rock, then this album is worth buying if only for the first song.
