#TBT Anniversary: SikTh
Death of a Dead Day
Disclaimer: For this weeks Throwback Thursday we were going to focus on the Radiohead album Amnesiac. However we were recently pushed towards another band by our resident beefcake of an intern Morgan. This album has an important place in the history of modern metal so we rolled with it. This article is completely biased and full of love. You have been warned.
A few days ago the second album by British Progressive (can we call them that?) Metallers Sikth turned 10 years old. Released on the 06/06/06, Death of a Dead Day (DoaDD) is one of the most important albums in the world of contemporary metal.
Not very many bands in the metal genre can actually say that they’ve changed the landscape of the genre itself, but Sikth have every right to. The Djent movement (is it a genre? is it a sound? why do we care?) can be traced back to two major influences. Meshuggah and Sikth. While Meshuggah contributes the down-tuned chugging and polyrhythmic riffs Sikth added far more than 1’s and 0’s (no disrespect for Meshuggah intended).
Being the last album before their 6 year hiatus, DoaDD is the quintessential Sikth record that encompasses their sound the best. With Dueling guitar riffs, time signatures that could make Pythagoras weep, and constant changes in style and genre are what first hits you in the albums killer opening track Bland Street Bloom. Then comes the onslaught of dual vocalists Justin Hill and Mikee Goodman, screaming and shouting their way through one of the heaviest verses they’ve released. Suddenly something changes, one of the catchiest and heartfelt chorus’s you’ve ever heard comes flying out of nowhere, and this is the greatest aspect that Sikth have. Without sounding jarring they can switch up styles with an organic ease that no other band can match.
When Sikth formed in 1999 there were next to no bands exploring the same type of genre bending antics they became famed for, save for maybe the Dillinger escape plan. Today however you can see the impact they’ve had just from the line up at this years UK TechFest, probably more than 80% are influenced by Sikth. Periphery, Protest the Hero, Tesseract and Monuments are only but a few of the popular metal bands that cited Sikth as one of their biggest influences. These bands are now expanding the new progressive metal scene that Sikth made possible.
When the band reformed in 2014 it became abundantly clear the legacy that DoaDD had left behind. When Sikth disbanded in 2008 they had a small following in the UK and in Japan. Yet from their first announcement of reunion they went from playing at download to the subsequent headlining festival slots of UK TechFest and Euroblast, it was clear. People hadn’t forgotten. They are now the rightful kings of the scene that they unknowingly created in their absence. With the release of their latest mini-album Opacities, Sikth have proved they can still do it better than anyone else.
Thank you very much for reading. If you would like to have a listen to Sikth and the bands they helped influence check out this playlist here! This playlist was made on our new application that is currently in the beta stage, if you want to hear the full tracks feel free to sign up here. If you would like to read more of our articles have a look at our page.
Morgan’s two cents: I saw Sikth live at TechFest in 2014, being the second show after their 6 year hiatus the atmosphere was almost its own physical entity. It is still to this day the single best show I have ever been to in my life and wish them the best of luck with their new vocalist Joe Rosser. I have all the faith in the world.
