Scrotox Ulcer by Steroid

Yes ! Another album by Tony Byker & Kev Byker.
Relieve your frustration with some sonic ear candy. Massage your cerebral cortex with some fuzzy warble slooshiness. Enjoy this crazy hypocritcal, paradoxical existence.
We are one.

'Lee Eastmidswhizzkid' writes
"25 years on...worth the wait? without a doubt and scarily appropriately timed as this is a soundtrack for Armageddon if ever there was one. eerie futuristic bladerunner-esque samples and manic fear-inducing apocalyptic pronouncemts are not the only familiar hallmarks here -Kevs vocal is at times his "default" style (think "growth") and musically its heavier than a deep-fried depleted-uranium sandwich- but there's a brutality to it that it's predecessor only hinted at. the abusive and abused 303 -thats an acid box to those who dont know- is prevalent, after all ths is the 21st century, and the frantic spasming drum-machine is reminiscent (?) of an epileptic beat-boxer,plugged into the mains and then thrown into a bath full of corrosives. if you dont like this album you're probably not reading this in the first place to be honest so dont take my word for it....i guarantee your neighbours will have an opinion."


'Jade Finkle' writes
"The main question I was asking when I listened to Steroid’s Scrotox Ulcer is: will it live up to the high standard set by the band’s previous effort? Since no less than 25 years have passed since the debut’s release, my expectations were admittedly not huge. However, I was to be proven wrong, for the answer to this question is firmly YES.
1993’s Jism Harvester concealed a selection of fantastic industrial-rock songs behind its curtain of messy samples, distorted vocals, unexpected noises and general chaos, and it has always stood out to me to be at least as good as the very best of Gaye Bykers On Acid’s works – so to discover that band members Tony and Kev Byker still definitely have the magic touch was very exciting for me. Jism Harvester had a very obvious 1990s style production, which is one of the reasons it appealed to me so much. On Scrotox Ulcer, on the other hand, they have blasted into the present, and embraced 2010s-style production whole-heartedly, with magnificent results. The vintage low-quality samples and murky distortion has been replaced with over-compressed sounds and clipping – which of course suits this style perfectly.
Vocal samples flood the entirety of the album, surrounding a base of what must be considered heavy metal, with huge, heavy distorted guitar and loud, slightly electronic-sounding drums. Lead vocals, mostly shouted in an energetic monotone, are much more present here than previously, and additionally, the songs seem, for the most part, more structured and coherent – although they are still a far cry from standard pop or rock structure. Electronic definitely makes a strong appearance on parts of the album, especially on one of the album’s highlights, the surprisingly melodic “K-Hole”, which breaks the pattern set by the first two tracks with a straightforward EDM vibe, improved by the ever-present noisy samples placed at random over the top of the track (it also goes on for over eight minutes, which is a guaranteed way to win my approval!).
One of my all-time favourite guitarists Tony Byker is up to his usual tricks here, with some awesome guitar solos adding even more interest to the already interesting compositions. Other highlights include the very welcome pichshifted demon-vocals on “Memoirs Of A Murderer”, the brilliant major-key guitar riff combined with a highly-electronic drumbeat on “Block Chain”, the dubstep vibe featuring an unexpected faux-Jamaican accent on “Debonair Time Traveler”, and the list goes on. It seems as though each track has some new gimmick to offer, and I use the word ‘gimmick’ in the most complementary way possible. Unfortunately, in my opinion the two weakest tracks open the album, but after these the quality jumps up to sublime-level and stays there for the rest of the time.
I always try to include some criticism in my reviews, because what’s life without criticism? In this case, I am having unusual difficulty in finding flaws. About the only comment I can make is the perhaps the compression on the drums does become a tiny bit tiresome, but I’ve definitely heard a lot worse in 21st century music. The debut will, I think always be slightly preferable to me, but this is simply because my personal music tastes are more biased towards 90s industrial rock.
Steroid’s new offering is a shockingly good album. Relentless, noisy and heavy, with enough melody and variation to please any listener. I count it as one of the greatest releases of recent years, and definitely think it deserves more widespread recognition."

ALBUM REVIEW: STEROID – SCROTOX ULCER- Jonathon Watkiss

Last year I reviewed 'Cloning for a Better Tomorrow', an album by Tony Byker. I said lots of nice words about that album. Here on 'Scrotox Ulcer' Tony is joined by fellow Byker Kev under the moniker STEROID. For those of you who are not gemmed up on essential underground and alternative bands of decades past, these two fellows hail from a band I was rather fond of myself, Gaye Bykers On Acid, and I still fairly regularly give them a spin, but I digress.

The second STEROID release, 'Scrotox Ulcer' is a blast, a big and brash blast at that. It is hefty, beefy, squelchy, metallic, and also fun (if you like your fun with barbs and razors). The whole album is laced with spoken word snippets and sound bites, which hail back to the sample addicted era of Pop Will Eat Itself and also Ministry circa 'The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste'. These lend the album a dramatic feel, like a disaster movie unfolding. Musically, we are talking big brassy balls here, up front, high tempo, high energy, loud and proud. Decades are frolicked with, 90s acid squelch jostling with noughties dubstep, wrestling with the up to date spin on synth wave all while industrial metal guitars lurch in the wings ready to clobber you one. The whole thing is damned catchy and infectious, while pushing the sonics to sizzling, almost too hot to touch, saturation. At times tracks edge even towards digital hardcore territories. As mentioned already, the tempo is high throughout, but not at all repetitive, as they vary from mutant trip hop beats, breaks, four to the floor, dub and even a hint of ragga, this serves to keep the listener on their toes and entirely engaged. Vocally, the variety is there too, delivered in rapid fire shouty burst, layered anthemic melodies, with interesting vocal effects scattered throughout.

During most album reviews, I will single out certain tracks as highlights or deviations. I am struggling here, for good reasons, as I thoroughly enjoy this wicked and wonky ride of an album. It is though well worth me having a try, as some of the track titles will help convey what my words cannot. 'Debonair Time Travellers' is particularly likeable, with its squelchy bass, off kilter rhythms and swaggering vocal. 'K-Hole' is a different beast, relying on a more obvious but no less enjoyable groove, laden with arpeggios, bleeps and squelches. 'Memoirs of a Murderer' is frantic, manic and perhaps satanic with 'Block Chgain' perhaps being the noisiest track amongst these ten on offer. Oh, and all of the others, they're good too. Seriously, if any of the words, references and comparisons made here sound like any of the music you enjoy, then please do consider this album, it is damn fine.

Sean Keating writes
Currently listening to this on constant rotation , sheer brilliance.
Like if William s Burroughs applied his cut up system to industrial noise and acid techno by inviting Genisis P.Orridge Timothy Leary Salvadore Dali Alien sex Fiend and Gaye Bykers to a jam party . Tony Byker then pulls a 303 out of his bag ,passes round some high grade acid and starts ripping out the guts of his guitar and the rest of the group starts to chop out a soundscape whilst fucked up on Ket.
An utter psychedelic noisecore techno head smasher of an album .
Play it loud , play it in the confines of your darkest room hugging your knees naked crying rocking back an forth if it sends you on a bad trip, play it in the sun.
But do experiment with Steroid and exercise your ears and brain .


Rich Deakin writes...
STEROID
SCROTOX ULCER
(PFX)
2nd album in 25 years from this techno
thrash industrial off-shoot
8/10
With ongoing "Will they? Won't they?" speculation concerning a
further Gaye Bykers On Acid reunion, guitarist Tony and drummer Kev have
reprised their post-Bykers collaboration Steroid. `Scrotox Ulcer' is even
more uncompromising than Steroid's 1993 debut 'Jism Harvester'. Most
of the tracks are hardcore industrial techno behemoths. Musically, it's
closer to the current incarnation of Pop Will Eat Itself than the Bykers,
but there are similarities to some of Tony Byker's recent solo material.
Unsurprisingly, amid the lyrics and numerous samples the likes of big
business corporations, weapons and food manufacturers all come under critical
scrutiny from the two Bykers. As other hot topics of the day, such as
ketamine use on `K-Hole' and the celebrity inexorable rise of the cult of celebrity
on 'Stockholm Syndrome', Banging !
Rich Deakin

Steroid is the fusion of Tony Byker & Kev Byker (Gaye Bykers On Acid) A journey to the dark side.