Nothing quite beats a bit of older metal. With such a thriving, ever growing scene, metal has joined the saturated stages like so many other styles of music. Amongst the crowds, surely now could be possibly one of the worst times for an older band to reform and push their newest release? Not for SikTH, who are demonstrating the ways in which their music goes against conventional norms and are waiving the flag high that they are back with a vengeance.

Tonight’s opening is Press To Meco who brought a strong level of riff and spark to ignite the evening, there is a fantastic amount of talent in this three piece which shouldn’t go unnoticed and are definitely worth a look up. Following are the Devil Sold His Soul, who, with a name like that you’d expect a pretty strong degree of thrash brutality and this band more than deliver. There is nothing tame about their sound and feature a brilliantly powerful combination of jagged drops, phantasmic drums and diverse transitions between hellish screams and powerhouse sung notes. The entire band have a terrific set and the crowd are all certainly on board with these guys, many knowing most of their material. With the stench of sweat and an electric atmosphere growing, SikTH approach.

The backing track of cathedral harmonies under a cloud of smoke see the band walk on stage and immediately produce a simply otherworldly sound with ‘Philistine Philosophies’. The sheer magnitude of the sound is unmatched and there are times where it feels as though Concorde’s speakers will give way at any second! Both vocalists Mikee W Goodman and Joe Rosser share their appreciation early with the crowd and thank everyone for sticking with the band during their decade hiatus. Despite the break up back in 2008, to many, it’s as if they last saw the band yesterday, the entire room know the words to all the tracks and, whilst the set is dominantly made of older material, the newer tracks from The Future In Whose Eyes? are met with just as much enthusiasm and love.

The moshpits only continue to grow in cohesion with the band’s energy. Mikee’s dreadlocks bounce sporadically during his headbangs and the rest of the band continue their intricate but chaotic instrumental work. Both voices bounce brilliantly off one another and add layers of depth to compliment the severity of the tracks, one sings whilst the other screams for a delightful mixture of passion and savagery.

There is a driving political motive behind most of SikTH’s material which is delivered clearly and concisely; ‘Skies Of Millenium Night’ drives home a very real picture of human greed and the suffering of others, whilst ‘Where Do We Fall?’ stresses the fragility of life. Mikee’s lyricism definitely borders on the intensely poetic and could easily be read out as spoken word with just as much power behind them. However in the metal environment this is only amplified through the beautifully destructive but intricate solos in a cascade of melodic but hellish tones.

There’s something incredibly special about hearing tracks which have been resurrected after such a long time, it fills the room with an omnipotent sense of nostalgia for many and adds such a positive aura to a venue. Overall, an evening with SikTH is just as you’d want and expect it to be. Brutal, rash and capturing the very best of metal. The band may be still trying to (re)find their feet in this crazy musical scene but, after putting on shows like this, SikTh will easily surpass their former glory in all its might and demonstrate that they still have a great deal to offer the world.

Ben Walker

Website: sikth.band
Facebook: facebook.com/sikthofficial
Twitter: twitter.com/SikthOfficial