A blast from the past! This record I experienced mostly though my friends. Having devoured The Trees Are Dead And Dried Out, I recall not being particularly impressed with this new venture. We saw Sikth at Download Festival and then they split up. Its left this record buried deep in the memories. Unearthing it again highlights its flaws, an underwhelming sophomore from a group who set the bar high for themselves.
Death Of A Dead Day yields its twelve cuts to the metallic kneel, choking their own peculiarities as creativity gets channeled into what feels like convention. Despite being loaded with spurious fret tapping melodies, complex harmonies and the occasional poly rhythm, Sikth under deliver on what made them stand apart. The enigmatic beast is present but the compositional approach leaves ideas underwhelming.
With all that said, this is a very enjoyable record, full of musical virtuoso and chaotic melodies you wont hear elsewhere. An entertaining listen where twists and turns come fast and frequent, a restless nature always embarking on the next musical idea. Led by the exchanges of their duo front act, its what you'd expect from Sikth.
Having given it a bunch of spins once again, I'd discovered Summer Rain and As The Earth Spins Round to be exception cuts, the latter ending the record with a fantastic outro riff uniting a pacey choppy rhythm guitar with epic melancholic lead melody. These peaks are comparable with their best output but the record plays a clear grade below that fantastic debut album. Approaching twenty years, Its been a nostalgic trip.
Rating: 7/10