Straight outta County Tipperary, Clonmel are Sixth Extinction, a five-piece crew formed in late 2013. Beginning their journey with the origins of death metal, they later found love for the groovier side of the genre. Now, Sixth Extinction release their debut record X and Why? produced by Tue Madsen at Antfarm studios in Denmark and ready for release on 30th March.
X and Why? Opens with “Exit-Stance” a powerhouse guitar riff and a short guttural raw, slowing into a southern style Pantera mood. Short guitar bursts with Grzegorz Skowroński’s heavy drumming, oh boy, what an opener.
Liam Ryan’s ferocious vocal melody accompanies Wojtek Orlik and Dave Fogarty’s blistering guitar sounds. “Dare Hallow Skulls” is an absolute killer of a track. Its southern drawl and fierce drumming magnifies the power of metal, and Sixth Extinction are a breath of fresh air.
X and Why? is a mixture of metal and rock titillating us with Pantera power, Slipknot flow and a SOiL melody that “Fistful of Vengeance” gives us in abundance. The warbling vocal in “Rebel Stuck on Pause” and “Distorted Faith” is reminiscent of a heavier Nickelback or Crash Test Dummies. The record changes to a SOiL flow with “What Eats Inside” creating a fun record easily making the Richter scale move up a few notches.
Penultimate track “Gallows Await” grooves back to the heavier side of thrashing riffs, drumming that makes the mould in the flat evaporate, and Lukasz Ryz’s bass playing able to wake the neighbours from their slumber. X and Why? is a great introduction to this group of musicians. It’s an enjoyable album, even the ones I’m not a fan of. If you like Pantera, Soil, Slipknot or Nickelback, and want to hear what certain tunes sound like if these bands were put into a cement mixer, go see them, check them out as these guys are for you.
I’m looking forward to catching these guys live if they come visit London, but if you’re in Waterford on the 30th March head to Central Arts for their album release party, or 31st March go to Fibber Magees in Dublin for their bout at Metal 2 The Masses.
