We grabbed a few minutes with drummer Daniel Foord to find out what’s in store for the up and coming shows next week and what their plans are for 2018.
Get stuck in….
OD – The Future in Whose Eyes? see’s the band back from a hiatus that lasted almost five years. When the EP ‘Opacities’ came to light, was this a way of testing the waters to push forward with the album?
DAN – Yes, I think we felt after such a long time away it’d be good to test the waters with a shorter release as it’s always been a massive task to write a full-length SikTh record. ‘Opacities‘ was really well received so it then felt right to take on the task of a full-length record.
OD – A lot has changed in the industry since How May I help you?, even taking into consideration, 2006’s ‘Death of a Dead Day’, what made you think that is was time to bring SikTh back and have you noticed any differences when looking back on previous releases with reference to the way the music industry works?
DAN – The reason for returning after such a long time was the overwhelming call from our fans for more Sikth shows and more SikTh records. The industry has changed a lot since the band began and continues to change. No one really knows what’s gonna happen. Certain things are a lot harder as music is so readily available for free on multiple platforms there are fewer reasons for anyone but super fans to purchase your music.
However, it’s never been so easy to communicate with fans and some bands still thrive. But you can’t rely on a business model that is old and no longer relevant.
OD – When you hear labels such as ‘Djent’ that is so commonly used to describe the band, do you feel that it is a little strange for you, as I’m sure you were just creating music that was exciting and interesting to you collectively?
DAN – ‘Djent‘ is just a term to describe a sound. Before ‘Djent‘ you had the mathcore label and others. I prefer technical/prog metal. I think it’s generally excepted the band started out long before the Djent label. We never intended to be labelled with any tags but to stand alone. However, everyone gets labelled so it’d be silly to get upset about it.
OD – Being associated with the likes of Meshuggah as the founding fathers of the ‘progressive metal’ movement, this has been a tag that has stuck with the band over the last decade. When you look back to writing the early material, did you feel that there was something very different about what SikTh were doing in comparison to the existing metal bands of that era?
DAN – Yeah, I think it was intentional to try and create our own sound that would separate us from the pack. Our favourite bands have always been the trendsetters rather than the followers. So that’s what we set out to be as it gives you the greatest chance of longevity. Also, we believe music should be a personal reflection of the person/people writing it or else what’s the point.
OD – With this forthcoming tour, can we expect the setlist to be more concentrated on the recent material or will it be a mixed bag from the discography?
DAN – This tour is based heavily on the ‘Death of a Dead Day‘ material as fans have been calling for it and there are quite a few songs we never got to play back in the day. However, there are new songs and fan favourites off every release so no one should be disappointed.
OD – Some artists that I have spoken to in the past regard festivals as some of the most important shows of the year for them, as they get to showcase to new fans. Having performed at this year’s Download Festival and other events like this, do you notice an increased impact of interest towards the band from potential punters that normally would not have seen you live before?
DAN – Yeah, that’s the idea, festivals like Download and supports introduce the band to people that may never have seen or even heard the band. That’s the way we did it back in the day and we’re meeting new fans all the time.
OD – If you could change anything about the current state of the music industry, what would it be and why?
DAN – That’s a difficult one. I think the ease of digital recording has given some bands a career who probably have no place being in the music business. It’s not like this didn’t happen before. It’s just that it’s so commonplace now that anyone can make a pro sounding record. Whereas back in the day you developed your sound over time making recordings in a way that required a great deal of practice and hard work. Nowadays new bands sound pro straight away so long as they have the budget or a simple grasp of music software.
OD – As we come to the end of 2017, can we expect to see a rigorous touring schedule for SikTh for 2018 and any new singles/videos?
DAN – I think 2018 will see the band branching out to new territories around the world. We have a lot of fans overseas and we want to play for all of them. We’re very proud of our new music and want to play it everywhere. I think we’ve done a fair few videos and singles. Our fans have been calling for playthroughs of our music. So that may well be what we do next.
OD – Having toured with many bands in the past, is there any particular band that would be a dream tour package for you?
DAN – We had a great time with Periphery, Chon and Toothgrinder in the states. We’d love to tour with those guys again sometime. But there are too many bands to mention. Obviously, Slipknot was a great one for us too.
SikTh will be performing in Belfast’s Empire Hall on Wednesday, December 13th and Dublin’s Bowery on Thursday, December 14th. Tickets are on sale now and close to selling out. Please click here for more details or alternatively, get in contact with promoters, Venture Presents.
Oran O’Beirne
© OVERDRIVE 2017
