When you pressed play on Sikth’s debut album back in 2003, it felt like being swept away by a technicolour magic carpet bound for unknown realms.
The scattergun riffs and wacky, unhinged vocals grabbed a tired metal genre by the collar and thrusted it in a fresh direction; it was circus yet wholly composed, musically feral but with enough melody to capture casual listeners. It paved the way for the ensuing onslaught of djent, and while the Watford conglomerate lost their way a little over time, their third album and first in over 10 years, The Future In Whose Eyes?, manages to relight the fire. This time they’ve added second vocalist Joe Rosser – a bandmate of SikTh guitarist Pin in Aliases – who helps to conjure up a more transatlantic-friendly sheen. Opener Vivid juggles the typically turbulent riffola with all-consuming choruses, while Cracks Of Light manages to grab a feature from Periphery frontman Spencer Sotelo. Riddles Of Humanity, meanwhile, enjoys Red Bull on an intravenous drip, such is the non-stop nature of its whiteknuckle aural assault. SikTh may not blazing their own trail anymore, but sometimes the original is often the best. Enjoy the ride.
