Thursday 15 February 2018

SIXES - Mephistopheles (Album Review)


Release date: 01st March 2018. Label:Various. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl

Mephistopheles – Tracklisting

Acid God
A Cross To Burn
Fogbreather
Methistopheles
Motherless
Voidkiller

Members

Stephen Cummings - Vocals, Guitar
Hannes Bogacs - Guitar
Zander Reddis - Bass
Dustin Daniels - Drums

Review

Greetings All,

Very soon the mighty Sixes will unleash their monster of an album Mephistopheles upon us all and will not so subtly crush your soul. The 6 tracks on the album deliver an onslaught of crushing distortion, with anguished, brutal screams and a dark, despondent mood that is as black as any metal out there today. The songs on Mephistopheles are long, typically 8-15 minutes (with one exception) that will test the listener’s fortitude. However, it is a glorious test and a testament to the awesome might of Sixes.

Acid God opens the album with almost 15 minutes of mostly instrumental bludgeoning. Feedback and dissonance open the track before the drums and anguished screaming show you exactly where Sixes are taking you, and it is a dark and wild ride. The song is stunning in its sheer volume and breadth. A Cross to Burn runs a little more straight-forward but is no less relentless. It has a killer chugging riff with some bad ass driving double kick drums to boot.

Voidkiller is an amazing track. It is a quieter, slower tempo track that has a very Alice in Chains feel with the vocal styling and sound. It is a dark, ominous sound that reels you in before exploding with enraged vocals and a massive wave of blackened distortion. Motherless is nothing but pure unadulterated heaviness. It showcases all of Sixes with feedback, distortion, and a killer breakdown.

Fogbreather is the shortest track on the album, but it is just as intense and amazing with brutal vocals, a churning tempo, and a wicked start, stop breakdown. It is metal, pure and simple, with the absolute best lyric of “We worship amps, and drugs, and Satan” That pretty much sums up all you need to know.

Mephistopheles closes the album. The title track is an absolutely brutal closer. A slow, crushing intro gives way to blackened, thrash infused speed riffs before careening wildly back and forth into a relentless pummelling riff with guttural howling. The closer is epic and massive and a fitting close to the dark ride through hell with the Sixes.

If you dig the heavy and are a fan of Neurosis, Thou, and the heavier side of Relapse records catalogue you should definitely check out Sixes. Their sludge filled, blackened metal will fill your anemic, empty soul. Dig on it!

- Todd S

Instagram @alltheghoststhathauntyou

Words by Todd Stealey


Thanks to Carcosa PR for the promo.

Mephistopheles will be released on CD/DD/Vinyl via the following labels Black BowRecordings, Poisoned Mind Records, Forbidden Place Records and Medusa Crush Recordings from March 1st 2018.

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