Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz | Detailed or mini-review submissions: song, EP/album | Suggest an artist

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Dead of Day - Sick and Twisted (song review) |self-released, single, 2014|

Dead of Day is a British one man metal project formed by musician/songwriter Rikki Siddle in late 2012. Inspired by music of bands such as Machine Head, Pantera, Killswitch Engage or Metallica, he released Walk in the Shadows EP in 2013.
Wrapped with heavy arrangements and angry moods, "Sick and Twisted" is his brand new single. Its beginning is exemplary of the exact sound that develops throughout the whole composition. Some bands prefer to utilize the so called 'wall of sound' (played in unison or individually), usually in the third part of a song - just before the end. Instead, Dead of Day uses a heavy mix of downtuned bass, chunky guitar riffs and dense drum beats in the first part of the track.

The arrangements smartly repeat and there are similarities to what we've heard so far on older Metallica albums. Guitar riffs entwine with bass and drums quite often within the song, weaving a stitched pattern. This type of composition keeps listeners energized and ready for headbanging.

The lyrics express disappointment being mislead by someone’s false self-presentation, perhaps due to a friend’s betrayal: "You're not the person you portrayed / Routine life your masquerade", "Your moral compass is corrupt / Shouts for forgiveness are unjust / The thoughts of what you could have done / Sick and Twisted pass the gun".
Rik doesn’t sing here - he rhythmically utters the lyrics with a haunting, hateful voice. This vocal method is quite characteristic of metal and hardcore music, yet well matched to Dead of Day's sound.

"Sick and Twisted" could definitely benefit from a better mastering and production process. It’s understandable that an artist in this genre would want his music to be rough, grainy and noisy. Yet even a reliable 'garage quality' tune can be cleaned from unnecessary noise, then polished to keep the original sound, with much improved quality. Such mastering services are usually pretty expensive, but there are many on-line & print resources that allow for a bit of sound engineering DIY.

Regardless of that, "Sick and Twisted" does sound catchy in its own heavy way, thanks to a lively dialogue between choruses and responsive guitars. They fit in the groovy background created by bass and drums very well. It's also nice to hear the riffs cut abruptly at the end of the track, where one would expect one more repetition.

According to Rik, his main focus has been on songwriting and recording, but he hopes to hear other bands record and perform his songs as well. Whether it’s about licensing, writing or performing music together or just being a passive listener, you should visit his website to give his other work a spin.

(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Music Magazine, February 6th, 2014. Proofreading: Mike 'Vesper' Dziewoński)

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