One of the most pioneering bands ever to come out of the UK Sikth released two full length albums and several E.P's. This is their final full length (so far) and it encompasses everything that set Sikth apart from every other metal band. Almost singlehandedly inventing the current Djent scene Sikth have an almost indescribable sound that fuses metal, hardcore with extreme technical flourishes and the schizophrenic vocals of Mikee James and Justin Hill who scream, shout and holler as hard as they can melding the brutality with poetry and political rallying. The album flows very well meaning that it is hard to pick out individual tracks as the album weaves in and out of explosive blasts of noise mainly Way Beyond The Fond Old River interspersed with poignant mid-paced rockers In This Light all of which feature some very intelligent and politicalised lyrics. This album is the pinnacle of the bands career and shows that a band this influential and damn good British metal band. 9/10
Sacred Mother Tongue: The Ruin Of Man
This Northampton 4-piece released this, their debut album in 2009 and it is a triumph of modern metal, the drumming of Lee Newell is machine-gun throughout, the bass of Josh Gurner shakes bones and the guitar playing of Andy James is brilliant effortlessly pairing rock hard modern metal riffage with stonking solos. James himself is also one of Britain’s foremost guitar tutors appearing on many of the Lick Library DVD's as well as releasing his own instrumental solo albums. James’s licks are even more fantastic when teamed up with the powerhouse rhythm section which set a great pace and tone. The key though lays in Darrin South's amazing vocals moving effortlessly from black metal screaming, to metalcore grunts and finally he has a great croon all of which blends together for a seamless vocal performance that can be seen at its best on Two Thousand Eight Hundred. The band mix metalcore/modern metal breakdowns and riffage with some classic thrash heaps of melody and a lot of sterling guitar work from James. This is a band that could be absolutely huge and with a bit more refining and after touring since 2009 their next release will be monumental. As it stands this is better than most. 8/10
ShatterPoint: Memoirs Of A Maker
Shatterpoint are a groove/southern metal band from Kent and they play heavy blues metal in the style of Clutch or Down, adding a mix of Pig Iron and Viking Skull, especially in the vocal department. The album is full of beefy riffage from guitarist Mark Graham who has a heavyweight tone and some flight fingered solos. The rhythm section is also notable as they provide a heavy back beat with pounding drums and some rippling basslines. The vocals of Ed Stone are smoky and perfect for this style of music. They kick things off with the ballsy Devil Of The Moment and the rest of the album continues in this locked in booze and blues style with Dance In The Dirt, the technical Hecate's Lake, the aptly named Heavy Days and the Clutch-like Trainwreck are some of the best tracks on this album as is the finale Falling Away which has more than a hint of Alter Bridge about it. It is well produced and better still very well written and performed for a band that are still in their infancy. This is a great album for fans of any of the bands mentioned previously it's not world changing but they do this particular type of blues metal very well. 7/10
P.S I am aware that all of these bands begin with S but I will avoid S bands next time (I promise
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