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Reviews

SIKTH IS THE BEST NEW BAND OF 2007 THAT YOU *NEED* TO KNOW ABOUT

 Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 4:43pm by

Sikth - Death of a Dead DayPublicists send us shit all the time, and 9 out of 10 times it blows goats but we listen anyway because every now and then there’s that occasional gem that shocks you and makes hours of brain-drilling listening all worth it.. Sikth’s Death of a Dead Day — originally released in 2006 — is that fucking good.

UK-based Sikth’s own brand of progressive metal mixes the breakneck hardcore spazzes and jazz freakouts of Dillinger Escape Plan or Between the Buried and Me, time-warp rhythms of Meshuggah, metallic melody of Dream Theater and bone-crushing breakdowns of Hatebreed all into one neat little package. But the band possesses a sense of songwriting and melody, like their UK prog-metal brethren Porcupine Tree, in which those bands rarely indulge. The musicianship all around is stellar, and vocalist Mikee Goodman shows a surprisingly versatile vocal approach, ranging from singing to screaming, growling, shouting, and everything in between. (According to Sikth’s MySpace page Goodman has moved on and they are searching for a new frontman. Hear that, aspiring vocalists?)

What’s more, the band produced Death of a Dead Day entirely themselves, with a precision mix job coming from Bieler Bros. Records (helmed by Jason Bieler, ex-Saigon Kick!) go-to-guy Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Skindred, Burn Season).

Why has no one ever mentioned this band before to me or anyone at the MetalSucks Mansion? This. Record. Fucking. Rules. The #1 sleeper hit of 2007 in my book, even though it was released in June of ’06. See for yourself, below.

Sikth – “Bland Street Bloom”

Sikth – “Part of the Friction”

-VN

metal hornsmetal hornsmetal hornsmetal horns
(four out of five horns)

[Visit Sikth on MySpace]

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  • http://last.fm/user/cooperaa Aaron Cooper

    Thanks for the tip! These guys sound great!

  • DeathMetalDave

    A band that released their first album 4 years ago and has been around since 2001 is hardly new.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikth

  • Sammy

    I even hear SOAD vocal style elements in there. Very diverse sound in one package, indeed.

  • Seth

    These guys are cool, no doubt, but:

    a) They are NOWHERE NEAR as heavy, diverse, or technical as BTBAM, so get off that comparison

    b) Yes I can hear some “SOAD” attempted style (which would be cool), but to me it sounded more like taproot, which is not cool.

    c) Guitar tones sound like newer, over-polished soilwork (thus the “not as heavy as BTBAM comment, among other things).

    This is of course me nitpicking, I like that they are doing something different than scandinavian death or metalcore, im just not ready to put them up there with the likes of BTBAM, Dillinger, or Meshuggah. I mean lets be fair, its not really the same league.

  • Fink

    Gonna have to agree with Seth here. Certainly not a bad band… actually a pretty good band. But they are not in the same league as BTBAM, Dillinger, or Meshuggah.

    However, Seth is also a ginormous douchebag… which I think proves to be a very strong counterpoint.

  • http://www.supmag.com Christopher

    haaaate them

  • TTquick

    Sounds great. I hear elements of 2 bands both Axl and Vince haaaaaatteee. Korn and Slipknot. Dont get me wrong. I’m only speaking of the tuned down guitar parts and changes, and Corey style slipknot vocal parts which are very minimal, but I hear that shit.

    You guys are closet fans.

    I love the changes and fills. sick.

  • adrian knibbs

    and your all too late you muppets the lead singers have left the band!!!!!!!

  • Dan B

    They’ve been my favourite band for years. This article doesnt mention their SECOND vocalist, Justin Hill. There’s two singers, Justin does the majority of the singing and Mikee does most of the screaming and growling. Both have left the band.

    I don’t really understand how people have managed to pick apart their songs to such a degree that they hear slipknot vocals but to each their own :S

    Check out SikThs first album “The Trees are Dead and Dried Out, Wait for Something Wild” to hear a different sound to what you find on Death of a Dead Day. Theres far more atmospheric and melodic parts on there. They heavied it up a bit for this album, still freakin’ amazing though!

  • Seth

    Hey, I said taproot. Do I get credit for that level of perception or do I get chastized because that means that once upon a time I listened to Taproot. Zoinks.

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  • MrMyers

    each to their own, but i rekon Sikth takes the “progressive metal, breakneck hardcore spazzes and jazz freakout ” cake , Meshuggah is more black and white industrial type progression. sikth is alot more colourfull so to speak. imo

  • Dr J

    the vocalist sounds like korn guy