DEATH OF A DEAD DAY

Ah, the awaited follow-up to TTADADO, Death of a Dead day. At first I found this album heavily inferior to the first one, mainly due the overall darker and more "serious" feel about it, since I found the joyful feel of the first album contributed to make it so great. Although with time, as I listen to it more, I found myself singing along to SikTh's melodies once again.

As I previously mentioned, this album has a different mood and overall feel than it´s younger counterpart. Would TTADADO be a playful child then DOADD would be the emotional, moody teenager. Many songs have adapted a somewhat more melodical character, most notably the choruses are more fine-tuned, and resembles the feeling found in emocore music. This album still does contain the same high level of musicianship, possibly even higher. The vocalists Mikee and Justin once again show their brilliance and ability with the duet style of singing/screaming/growling (a wide range here). Both guitarplayers show a simillar approach as the previous album, but is perhaps even more difficult and flipped at this CD. Basist James Leach is unfortunaly less prominent in DOADD, for reasons unknown to me. His bass is more blended into the guitarsound and sadly plays more along with the guitars as well. This is naturally not allways the case as his bassgrooves does step out once in a while to add another layer to the song, just not as frequently as the first album. Drummer Dan Foord more or less does a similar work as earlier, which is still really, really good in my opinion.

The tracks vary in quality from good to excellent on the entire CD, as it never gets dull, but with less diversity than on TTADADO. But why then do I rate this album 4 and not 5? Well, this IS a great album which I definately would recommend anyone who liked the first one, but a five star rating is not to be given swiftly, and in all honesty, if someone would ask me which album they'd buy for a first time experience with SikTh, I would go for the first album, since it feels to be more the sound I, and many people with me, associate SikTh with. Also, the dynamics are slightly better in the previous album. And last but not least, I guess you cannot disregard the fact that it's just not "new" in the same context as the previous album was. Innovative? Yes. Differs from you're average mathmetal/progmetal band? Hell yes! But it's similar to what you heard on the first album, and therefore don't have the same impact.

Insane guitar parts, crazy vocals, good bassplay, good drumming, some brilliant melodies and great lyrics makes this a strong, solid 4 star album.

Now I can see why this band would not be very loved on the archives. I know a few metal heads that can't handle this music. But I must say, I looked past the throaty guttural vocals, (which grew on me) and saw the absolutely beautifully orchestrated music behind it. These guys are like the Da Vinci Code of prog metal. I've never heard a band this structured in all my years of listening. At time they can be like Dream Theater and others they're like Jungle Warfare. It's astounding.

Now this record, is very very VERY heavy. Their first one had some nice breaks and slow sections, but this one is practically void of any. So if you are reading this review and are thinking of venturing into prog metal, do not start with SikTh. They will make you rip your ears out. I've grown to be very fond of the dueling vocalists. It adds the feeling as if the band is telling a story every time you hear a word. I'm not going to bother going any farther into this review and just skip to the songs. As I know, most of you have your opinions and I won't change them.

Since the record has twelve tracks, I'll be as brief as possible. Bland Street Bloom starts out with a haunting vocal line, which to this day, still gives me the shakes when I hear it. It's truly frightening. Then it gets a little crazy. With the piles of time changes and speed drumming, there's no way to describe this song other than, AWESOME. Flogging the Horses is a non stop vocal thrill ride. There's no other way I can further describe this song. As the Earth Spins Round, is just epic. Starts off with some interesting bell sounds, then with some poly rhythmic fills. Then, BASS TAPPING. The ending almost makes me want to cry, because it's the final SikTh track to ever be released.

To be honest, I don't think my review of this band is very accurate, only because I get a flood of ideas and emotions when I listen to their music. Transcribing it to text isn't an easy task, let alone with the fact that their music is near impossible to describe in the first place. All I can say is, if you like prog metal and you don't mind vocals that are obscure and goofy at times, go out now to Itunes and buy this. It's worth it.

For some reason the masses on progarchives still haven't gotten their eyes and ears on this fantastic band. A disbanded band now, sadly.

Yet this does not by any means lessen the importance these records have had, and will have on guitar playing and progressive metal for future generations. Just listening around on myspace on bands of the similar genre you keep stumbling on that blackmachine sound and SikTh at the top of influences. SikTh's impact on modern music is huge!

Now, the album. DoaDD follows the genius The Trees Are Dead and Dried Out, Wait for Something Wild, an album which completely changed the way I listen to music. DoaDD is not as good as it predecessor, it is actually a far way from it. Where the Tree's-album shone most was the balance in songs, the arrangements of kick and breaks were brilliant, keeping you interested all through out the album. With DoaDD SikTh are taking their music to a new level in terms of instrumentalism but are losing their footing with what made the previous album the best of its genre; the entirety.

DoaDD starts off with what I consider the four greatest songs ever written in the genre, taking such a huge leap in the progressiveness of their music that it left me breathless on the first listen. The time signatures of Way Beyond the Fond River are just mind numbingly complex. But after those songs it begins to gait, slowly turning away from the their usual frantic, high paced songs into more mellow and "standard" ones.

By the end of DoaDD I'm no longer as in love with SikTh as I was hearing Tree's for the first time, and perhaps it was a good thing they disbanded in the end.

Conclusively, what can be said about this album is that it is the pinnacle of SikTh's career in terms of production, arrangement and technicality. It has some of the most earth shattering songs you'll find in the genre and the two single most interesting vocalists around. It's a fantastic record that I'd recommend to anyone interested in technical music of any form.

4/5

After a mezermising debut, how do you match it. By making it more tolerable.

This album is a lot more meldoic than their debut and is more easy listening (it still is incredbily crazy though).

This album is also alot more structured and alot more catchier as well.

I do favour this album, very slightly to their debut because it reminds me more of what Protest The Hero are doing now.

I'm also sad to say that after this album, they sadly broke up, which is a complete shame because they were one of the best bands from the 00's.

1. Bland Street Bloom - What a 7 string groove. After listening to this album, I did detune my guitar down to A# and learnt how to play the intro. What an amazing song, great chours, amazing over dubs with vocals and some amazing instrumental work, what more can you want.

2. Flogging The Horse - A crazy song about animal sex. How crazy can you get. Great song with an amazing ending. The video for this song is also quite cool, because I never saw what these guys look like live.

3. Way Beyond The Fond Old River - Amazing chorus and an amazing pre chorus. Just overall a fantastic song.

4. Summer Rain - The craziest song on the album. The middle section would put Meshuggah to shame, wittering around hitting the lowest note they possibly can. Polyrthyms at their best in this song.

5. In This Light - It's almost like a ballad, but it's very eerie. Great song, with a great chorus.

6. Sanguine Seas Of Bigotry - One of the best songs on the album in my opinion. Mikee & Justin show some spectaculaire vocals. Amazing chorus.

7. Mermaid Slur - More poetry. In my opinion it doesent match up to When Will The Forest Speak...? Mainly because it's length isn't as long.

8. When The Moments Gone? -Great chorus. Very crazy but just enough to tolerate.

9. Part Of The Friction - Fantastic lyrics. Some great vocals and instrumental work.

10. Where Do We Fall? - The most melodic song on the album. Very Funeral For A Friend. Great chorus and some fantasitc melodies.

11. Another Sinking Ship - Amazing song with some amazing instrumental work.

12. As The Earth Spins Round - A great way to end the album. Amazing fade out section at the end.

CONCLUSION: Buy both of their albums. Fantastic pieces of music.

SiKtH (RIP)

'Death Of A Dead Day' - Sikth (9/10)

Let's make it clear; "mathcore" is most definitely not my thing. Sure, a band can be talented as all hell, but if it comes off sounding needlessly chaotic and adolescent, I tune out pretty quickly. Of course, there are bands that manage to justify the sense of chaos with exciting ideas and intelligent songwriting. Sikth are a progressive metal band that shares the same scene as acts like Protest The Hero, and even Between The Buried And Me. What sets them apart however, is their devotion to pushing the envelope as much as they can. Bordering on avant-garde absurdity, Sikth's second and final album 'Death Of A Dead Day' may be a slight move towards consolidating their sound, but it is as mad and sporadic as just about anything you will find in metal today.

When I first heard of Sikth a year or two back, I did not think much of them. I thought them to be part of the scene that sought to encroach hardcore upon progressive metal, and regardless of their playing abilities, that sound has never been for me. I'm glad I decided to check these guys out again though; while aspects of 'Death Of A Dead Day' don't align perfectly with my tastes, I cannot help but be impressed by what they are doing here. In terms of comparisons, Sikth are somewhat similar to Protest The Hero, although Sikth are quite a bit more challenging and 'out there'. System Of A Down also comes to mind. The vocals here are chaotic and diverse, much like avant-metal champions UneXpect. In truth, the sound of this band goes everywhere, and in itself, that creates a firm impression. Although none of these songs are ones that will be getting stuck in a casual listener's head anytime soon, I don't hear many modern progressive metal bands who are able to keep their music consistently exciting and even downright fun to listen to.

Instrumentally, this band is wild. The compositions they write are highly demanding, and the band pulls it off remarkably. The vocals, while conveying some of the adolescent screams that turned me off from the band to begin with, are about as technical as the instruments, fitting odd lyrics around complex time signatures. Sikth will not appeal to a large demographic of people, even among metalheads. Even after several listens, it's difficult to find a rosetta stone to 'crack' this album, although that constant sense of being 'out there' is part of the appeal. Even when concentrating heavily on the music, 'Death Of A Dead Day' comes across as being extremely chaotic and quirky, but it's pulled off in such a way that that it becomes incredibly fun to listen to, in the same sense of a roller coaster. Sikth don't take themselves too seriously, but their music is executed with precision and leaves me feeling wowed.

Metalcore-based Djentamaniacs Sikth offer a convincing sophomore album with Death of a Dead Day. Sadly, it's my understanding that they disbanded after this, which is a shame because on the strength of this they could have been the UK's answer to Animals As Leaders had they stuck it out. The basic features of metalcore are still present, so if you're allergic to breakdowns and angsty screaming you may find this one a hard sell (and I have to say I'd enjoy it more if they toned that side of their sound down a bit), but most fans of experimental and progressive metal with any sympathy for the Djent sound will find that Sikth's impressive technical mastery at least worth a listen, whether or not they're won over by them in the long run.

"Death of a Dead Day" is the 2nd full-length studio album by UK, Watford based progressive metal/metalcore act Sikth. The album was released through Bieler Bros. Records in June 2006. It´s the successor to "The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait For Something Wild" from 2003 and the sextet lineup who recorded the predecessor is intact here. Sikth were originally active from 2001 to 2008 and released two full-length studio albums in that period. They reunited in 2013.

Stylistically the material on "Death of a Dead Day" continue the technical/progressive metal of "The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait For Something Wild" (2003). SikTh´s brand of progressive metal features elements of mathcore, NU-metal, alternative metal, and hardcore, and a combination of the sound of artists like The Dillinger Escape Plan and System of a Down is a relatively valid description, although Sikth definitely have a sound of their own. While their songwriting is clever and effective, I´m predominantly blow away by the high level musicianship found on "Death of a Dead Day". The complexity of the material is pretty high, but it´s the natural organic way that said material is performed and the way the many different vocal styles (clean, screaming, aggressive, schizophrenic lunatic babbling) compliment the often manic instrumental parts of the music, which make this a spectacular release. You´re definitely in for at ride with this album...

Featuring a detailed, powerful, and very well sounding production "Death of a Dead Day" is also a treat on the ears in terms of every instrument and vocal parts sounding great in the mix. The fact that it´s a self-produced affair bears witness to how skilled SikTh are. They aren´t just clever composers and well playing musicians, but also competent producers. Upon conclusion "Death of a Dead Day" is a high quality sophomore album by SikTh and a 4 - 4.5 star (85%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)