Sykofant followed up their extremely impressive 2024 self-titled debut with a stunning EP last year, Red Sun. My review of that can be seen by clicking on the button below.
They have now followed this up with a second EP, Leaves, which was released in January. The exciting news is the band are releasing the two EPs together as a single album, Red Sun Leaves, and this is now available to pre-order at https://sykofantband.bandcamp.com/album/red-sun-leaves
Red Sun was an exploration of sun-drenched, harsh landscapes, whilst Leaves takes us into lush forests, the journey achieved through personal reflection and transformation. Whilst I described the first EP as having depth, complexity, and some huge melodies, Leaves takes on a more emotional hue but still retaining the sense of drama the band are rightly gaining a deserved reputation for. Indeed, they are attracting airplay not merely on my radio show, but across Progzilla Radio and the wider online broadcasting community.
So, we have three tracks here, including one almighty epic, a certainty to be considered for my Lazland “Epic of 2026” award at year-end.
We start with Roots and Canopy, a self-explanatory title, alone in the forest, itself a living entity with faces and shadows all around. It is a scene-setter, lonely voices crying in the woods, the shadows whistling around, the subject walking through represented by the most gorgeous melodies created, an acoustic guitar setting the rhythm, the lead guitar ghostly, the vocal gentle, and until you hear the massive short riff crashing out of the speakers, you are rather lulled into a false sense of security, and after this there is a fine sense of energy, segueing into Mycelium March, these being the network of branching hyphae which form the body of a fungus. Now this short instrumental is a presager of the epic to follow, and has its influence taken directly from the masterful Meddle, but Sykofant cleverly bring it bang up to date in modern majesty, the guitar riffs a screaming ecstasy of noise. It closes with a pretty acoustic guitar, and this takes us into the main course following the tasters. Heart of the Woods is over sixteen minutes long. The wanderer becomes as one with the forest, lost within himself, channelling distant memories, and desperately seeking sunlight on the other side.
Steve Hackett himself would be proud of the acoustic guitar in the first minute, and when the song kicks in, there is a darker hue. When Sykofant rock, they do so loud and proud, and the heavier passages here are worthy of the finest exponents of hard rock, some of the notes thundering out of the speakers. But we also have some gorgeous post rock passages, the choir beautifully crying over an achingly lovely guitar riff, the drums leading the charge through the terrain, both mental and physical, the complexity at times incredible, the combination of the acoustic and electric achieved masterfully, the movements never once allowing the attention to wander. It has everything. Hard rock, post rock, symphonic rock, pastoral roots rock, classic rock guitar burst, fusion funk, psych drama. The final two minutes give way to the choir and that perfect acoustic guitar, in a beautiful passage of music that gently brings you down whilst appreciating the majesty of life.
Sykofant, to me, represent the best of modern Scandinavian progressive rock, chock full of classic influences, but utterly unique in how these are presented to a music-loving world in a contemporary setting. They are superb and deserve your support. Below, you will see the video of the two EPs the band have put together for you on YouTube.