Cycotic Youth

Live Review: Will Haven at Knitting Factory NoHo

There are some bands that have a certain aura about them that when they play live. It’s almost as though there is a cosmic shift that delivers an amount of energy that permeates through each person on stage and then into the audience. One such band that has this is the mighty Will Haven. Their most recent tour stop in Los Angeles (well technically North Hollywood) was a prime example of this aura taking over and infecting the crowd.

Opening the night was Arc Angles. If you haven’t heard Arc Angles, you should fix that. This three piece is a band that is explosive, creative and methodical in what they do. Not only did they set the tone for the evening, they sure made it a hard act to follow with their high energy set that showcased songs from their debut album Apocalisp and their most recent EP, Daisy. Having seen Arc Angles a few times and written about them a bunch, it’s been a pleasure to see how they keep pushing themselves to evolve and write songs that are both catchy yet slap you in the face.

Next up was Stronger Than Machines. These guys are one hell of a force to be reckoned with. If Arc Angles set the tone, Stronger Than Machines then raised the bar even more. Their metal-core style fit perfectly for the evening. Another band with a ton of energy that flowed right into the audience. One of the things I really like most about this band is their want to play hard and deliver a show that not only is true to them but also really gets the audience involved. Having a bit of a melodic tinge to their songs shows the dynamic range that they are capable of and they are only just getting started.

Right in the middle was Curse. These guys brought the rock to the night and in a way gave a bit of breathing room of all the heaviness happening. Their set was fun and energetic. Armed with catchy hooks and melodic touches, Curse was definitely not cursed this evening.

Before Will Haven was the Venice legends, Cycotic Youth. They brought a punk rock energy to the night that opened up the pit a bit and started to get the frenzy going. Rocking songs from their first album in many years, Cycotic Youth tore through song after song, and even had a little time for some stories about the early days of the band. They brought the audience to a level that was hungry for Will Haven, which was quite perfect.

Now, Will Haven took things to a whole other level of heavy. Celebrating their now 20 year old classic album, Carpe Diem, Will Haven ripped and tore North Hollywood a new one with their no holds barred performance. That aura I was speaking about at the beginning of this review was all over the stage and then filtered to the audience. With each song, the crowd got more and more into the show. Will Haven kept delivering killer riffs, rhythms and vocals that could be felt throughout the whole building. I’ll never forget hearing Carpe Diem for the first time. It’s one of those albums that when you hear it, it immediately inspires you to want to go make heavy music. Will Haven are one of the best to do this style of heavy music. So much so that when you hear a band imitate it, it makes you want to just go listen to Will Haven. After they ran through Carpe with brilliance, it was time for a couple new songs from their exquisite new album, VII. These new songs and album are one of the best of 2023. Here’s a crazy thought too, Carpe Diem was released 20 years ago and it left a mark on heavy music, and now 20 years after that, Will Haven has delivered another classic album with VII that will and should influence another generation of bands. What a great set Will Haven put on. One of those that I will definitely remember for many years to come.

One last note about the night, this was a pleasure to help put on and curate. Working with The Cobalt Presents (aka The Cobalt Cafe) and The Radford Media Group on putting shows together has been a blast. I highly urge you to come check out what we have coming up. We have been putting shows on for the past 2 years and it’s only getting better!

ARC ANGLES LIVE:

STRONGER THAN MACHINES LIVE:
WILL HAVEN LIVE:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CwmVH7eo3NA/?hl=en

Band Of The Week: Cycotic Youth

I love when bands reunite for the right reasons. You can often tell when a band gets back together it’s for reasons that has nothing to really do with the music or passion. That’s not the case for Venice, California natives Cycotic Youth. After being away for almost 30 years, the legendary DogTown Thrash Punk Rockers are back with a new attitude and an album of songs that will absolutely pummel you. Since they announced their return, Cycotic Youth has been ripping up stages any chance they get, reminding everyone that not only are they back but they are taking no prisoners along the way. Their new album CYCO UP, which was produced and recorded by Terror’s Nick Jett, will be out in July. In the mean time, CY have released two banging singles/videos in “Cycofied” and new single “Cyco Up.” Both videos were directed and edited by the bands new guitarist Nick Garcia. These videos give you a little glimpse into the life of CY and where they come from. The lineup consists of OG members Jason Brown (vocals) and Mikey Beato (bass/vocals) is rounded out by Nick Garcia (guitar) and Billy Greenwood (drums) new comers but, not new to the DogTown scene. Cycotic Youth are back with one hell of a vengeance and I highly recommend you take the time to check them out!


Cycotic Youth- Cycofied:


Cycotic Youth- Cyco Up:


DOWNLOAD “Cycofied” and “Cyco Up” Via Bandcamp:

By: Brian Lacy

New Release: Cycotic Youth- Cycofied

The 1980’s punk scene was explosive. During this time you had bands like Black Flag, Minor Threat, Circle Jerks, Suicidal Tendencies and many more raging harder than their predecessors. At the time, Los Angeles was known more for the likes of Motley Crue and Ratt than the punk bands. It was this very thing that two brothers from the Venice area began to really take note of the scene and created their own band. Cycotic Youth was formed and, joined the Venice/Dogtown/Santa Monica legion of groups like Suicidal Tendencies, Excel, and No Mercy. The young outfit released demos in 1985, 1986, and 1987, bringing forth a sound that showcased elements of hardcore, raw punk, and thrash metal. In 1988, Cycotic Youth broke up but, not before sharing the stage with the likes of King Diamond, Cryptic Slaughter, and Death Angel along the way. 2011 saw the release of a self-titled compilation that collected the band’s demos. And now in 2022, Cycotic Youth is back with a new single and album on the way. “Cycofied” the new single is a rip roaring heavy track. Singer Jason Brown had this to say about the song “The song is about growing up in Dogtown and ‘Cycofied’ means just you know going hard whether it’s skateboarding BMX motocross surfing it’s a R word that we used to say back in the days. We’re really excited to put out our single because it’s about our boy, [Z-Boy legend] Jay Adams, passed away a few years ago and he was a big driving force behind surfing and skateboarding in our area.”

Cycotic Youth- Cycofied:

Check Out Cycotic Youth over at No Echo dot net!!!