| SikTh | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Watford, Hertfordshire, UK |
| Genres | Progressive metal, tech metal, mathcore, avant-garde metal |
| Years active | 1999–2008 |
| Labels | Infernal Records, Unparalleled Carousel, Gut Records, (UK) Victor Entertainment (Japan) Bieler Bros. Records (USA)/World |
| Associated acts | Aliases, Sad Season, The Painted Smiles, Minutes, This Is Menace, Sol Invicto |
| Past members | |
| Dan Weller Graham Pinney James Leach Dan Foord Mikee Goodman Justin Hill |
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Sikth (also typeset as SikTh) were a progressive metal band from Watford, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom.
Contents |
SikTh formed in late 1999, but consolidated their line-up in March 2001[1]. That line-up consisted of dual vocalists Mikee Goodman and Justin Hill, guitarists Dan Weller and Graham Pinney, bassist James Leach and drummer/percussionist Dan Foord.
Their first official release was an EP titled Let the Transmitting Begin. Released in 2002, it featured three tracks, as well as a limited edition live CD from the BBC Radio 1 recordings of the same songs.[2]
The band's first release for Gut Records[3] was an EP titled How May I Help You? Released in 2002, it featured three tracks, two of which were on the band's debut album. A video for the song "(If You Weren't So) Perfect" was also contained. The song "How May I Help You?" contained a story about a person called Rodney. The song was made into an animated video, which was written, directed and produced by Mikee Goodman. It went on to win the best video award in The Big Cheese Magazine, as well as reaching number 1 on MTV UK, and being an A-list video on MTV Asia.
SikTh's debut album The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait for Something Wild was released on 18 August 2003 through Gut Records. The album was produced by the band themselves, along with Andrew Scarth. Mixing duties were handled by Colin Richardson. Two singles were released from the album in "Scent of the Obscene" (October) and "Peep Show" (December).[4][5]
In support of the album, they went on to appear at Download Festival at Donington Park in 2003. The band traveled to Japan in 2004, firstly supporting Anthrax and Killswitch Engage, then playing at the Fuji Rock Festival in August with Lou Reed, PJ Harvey and Primus.
The album has sold approximately 30,000 copies in the UK, Japan and Australia.
The band returned in 2006 with their second full-length album Death of a Dead Day. It was released in the UK on June 26th 2006 (26/06/06) on their new label Bieler Bros. Records. It was earlier released in the US on June 6th (06/06/06). The album entered the UK album charts at number 55. The album was once again produced by the band themselves, with mixing duties handled by Matt LaPlant.
In support of the album, SikTh performed a show at The White Horse in High Wycombe, the venue of their first ever gig, on 06/06/06 and at the Download Festival 2006 four days later, as well as short UK tour.
An EP titled Flogging the Horses was released in October 2006, featuring demo versions from Death of a Dead Day tracks, as well as a remix version of "Where Do We Fall?". The track "Each Other and Ourselves" was also included, which was a bonus track on the Japanese version of the album. The EP was limited to just 1,500 copies.
On 8 May 2007, it was announced that vocalists Mikee Goodman and Justin Hill would be leaving the band at the conclusion of the July 2007 "The Black Summer Starts Here" UK tour set, due to their ongoing projects and producing careers.[6] Mikee Goodman's and Justin Hill's final performance in SikTh was at the Carling Academy, Islington, London on 14 September 2007 (this was a rescheduled show).
On 27 May 2008, SikTh announced that the band had decided to split due to numerous factors. The main reasons cited for their breakup was the inability to find replacements for ex-vocalists Mikee and Justin, as well as commitment to other projects.[7] The following statement was issued via the bands MySpace;[8]
"R.I.P. SIKTH 2001-2008. It deeply saddens the four of us to announce that we are closing the book on SIKTH... it's time to split up. A combination of factors have driven us to make this decision. We want to assure you that if it were viable for us to carry on - we would. We are so proud of all that we have achieved as Sikth and we have agreed to work together again in the future. we are currently involved in new projects so keep checking our personal pages for announcements. And finally, we owe such huge and sincere thanks to all of you for listening to our music and enabling us to live our dream. We know we have left you in the dark lately and we are sorry for that.
Your loyalty will never be forgotten. Dan, James, Dan, Pin."
SikTh's style of music is hard to categorize and as they incorporate many different elements of metal, rock and hardcore. They are commonly categorized as progressive metal[9] due to their unorthodox approach, as well as experimental metal and mathcore due to the complex nature of their instrumental playing abilities and the regular inclusion of dissonance into their music.
"Energy has always inspired us," says guitarist Dan Weller, "things that really get you pumping. We play extreme music, sure, but in the sense that we go to all extremes. If something sounds good, then we'll do it, and that includes beautiful, melodic music, which we all love, too". "But," stresses fellow guitarist Pin, "we're always concerned with the quality of the tune; just writing crazy music isn't enough, and I think that's what makes us different from other bands who go really technical. We're definitely writing songs."[10]
In a review for SikTh's second album Death of a Dead Day, DecoyMusic.com described the band's style as containing elements of "speed metal, progressive metal, thrash, nu metal, metalcore, and cock-rock".[11] The website Drowned in Sound "sees the band come across like a heady America-friendly mix of Dillinger Escape Plan's feather-fingered guitar contorting melded with Korn's manipulated rhythms, thundering through the bizarre nuances of System of a Down".[12]
In a review for the band's debut album The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait for Something Wild, MusicOMH.com described the album as containing "guttural throaty vocals mixed with harmonized melodies, viciously rhythmic drumming which instantly metamorphosises into elaborate percussion, and haunting atmospheric piano interludes which sit superbly between slices of metal brutality".[13] In the early days of the band, Goodman once described their sound as "scatcore", a reference to their fast-jabbering scat style of singing.
Sikth retained the same line-up throughout their seven years active, which is as follows:
| Name | Instrument | New Projects |
|---|---|---|
| Mikee Goodman | Vocals | Goodman immediately joined the band Sad Season and has featured on Cyclamen's track, Sleep Street. Mikee is now vocalist for new British metal act, The Painted Smiles. He is also currently working on a project with Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith called Primal Rock Rebellion. |
| Justin Hill | Vocals | Justin has featured on the tracks Predisposed from the 2006 album No End in Sight and Return The Favour from the 2007 album The Scene Is Dead by This Is Menace and Dreams Without Courage from the 2007 album Entities by Malefice. Hill is working as a producer based in London. |
| Dan Weller | Guitar, Piano | Currently in new band Minutes who are managed by Craig Jennings and Olly Mitchell at Raw Power. He makes a living working as a Producer. Weller Produced and Mixed Enter Shikari single Destabilze and Produced follow up single Quelle Surprise. He is producing their third album. He also assisted in the production of the Enter Shikari album Common Dreads, He also Produced the first Young Guns Album and is currently Producing their second Album. Dan wrote the music alongside co-writer, Ciaran Cahill, for Transmission Impossible with Ed & Oucho on the BBC.[14] |
| Graham "Pin" Pinney | Guitar | Pin first started off working with Within The Void. He now also has a new project by the name of 'Aliases' [1], who have recently signed with Basick Records and released debut album 'Safer Than Reality' from Basick Records. He also does guitar tuition. |
| James Leach | Bass | James teaches bass lessons and drum techs for Gallows. |
| Dan "Loord" Foord | Drums/Percussion | Loord now plays with London based band, Perceval Gage as well as Stephen Carpenter of Deftones new band Sol Invicto and another project, HAARP. |
| Year | Song | UK Singles Chart | Download Chart | UK Rock Chart | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | "Scent of the Obscene" | 78 | - | 22 | The Trees Are Dead & Dried Out Wait for Something Wild |
| "Peep Show" | - | - | 29 |