SIKTH, the U.K.'s progressive metal forefathers, will release their new album, "The Future In Whose Eyes?", on June 2 via Millennium Night, the newly created label imprint from Snapper Music, home of Peaceville and Kscope. SIKTH guitarist and producer Dan Weller stated about the band's first full-length studio album since 2006's "Death Of A Dead Day": "Ever since SIKTH was formed way back at the turn of the century, we've tried to self improve as musicians and as songwriters. We take our music very seriously. "This record feels like the one we've always wanted to make. We spent over a year writing it and pushed ourselves extremely hard — sometimes too hard. "'Opacities' was the rebirth of SIKTH but 'The Future...' is our statement. I want this album to define us. "I don't care how overambitious it sounds — we want this record to be heard by every metal fan on the planet." SIKTH vocalist and lyricist Mikee W Goodman adds: "Personally, I feel this is our best album yet. From my point, I have written all vocals and lyrics. I have taken myself to some very dark places, commentated on this world as I see it. Also, swimming into fictional worlds and dreamscapes. There are some beautiful moments. The band have made incredible music, brutal, technically warped mixed with some psychedelic moments. I think we've done something special here." The vocals were recorded at Mikee's own studio and at Adrian Smith's (IRON MAIDEN) R&R Studios, and this is the first release featuring new co-vocalist and former member of ALIASES Joe Rosser. The guitars and drums were laid down at the renowned Monkey Puzzle House studios. Dan Weller has been producing, alongside Adam "Nolly" Getgood (PERIPHERY) on mixing duties. "Joe has done a great job singing on this album," says Mikee. "He has a lot of scope to his voice. He's very versatile indeed." "The Future In Whose Eyes?" features the first-ever guest vocalist on a SIKTH album — Spencer Sotelo, singer in PERIPHERY, joins Mikee on the track "Cracks Of Light". In late summer 2016, SIKTH made their first foray into the U.S. live arena after being invited to join PERIPHERY on tour. "They're really nice people. Everyone on that U.S. tour felt it was the best one they'd been on," smiles Mikee. It was over those weeks that a plan was hatched. "We actually got him down to R&R Studios in Uxbridge where we made the album," Mikee continues. "I really like PERIPHERY and especially love Spencer's voice. He's not your usual djent singer, and he's very much a spiritual man. He knows his mind well and so we nailed the song really quicky." The spectacular artwork for "The Future In Whose Eyes?" has been created by 3D animator and artist Meats Meier. "Meats has been a friend for years and he came out to see the show in L.A. and loved it," Mikee says. "We wanted something really special and we got it. He is an absolute genius, a visionary and a pioneer. We are all so proud to have him design our sleeve." Meier adds: "This image represents the construction of the future and its ultimate demise. A perfected human race brought down by its own need to innovate and improve. A simple error breaks the machine and brings us back to the beginning." Ahead of the album's release, SIKTH has premiered a new song, "Vivid". Mikee explains: "Lyrically, it is inspired by traumatic dreaming. The verses talk from perspective of being in the actual dream, where the choruses are in despair from an awoken perspective. The song itself has a lot of elements of both tradition and new SIKTH." The digital single is available to buy, stream and will also be available an instant download with all digital album pre-orders. Photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta
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