(Sic)Monic
Somnambulist

February 2010
Released: 2010, Aural Music
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Alan Gilkeson

Quite surprised by the immediacy of brutality and melody on album opener 'To The Fiendz', with its boldly aggressive attack, (Sic)Monic conjoin a bit of their own style with the likes of Disturbed, System of a Down, and maybe even a tinge of some Static X and Korn... Signed to the Aural Music label out of Italy, these kids hail from the Phoenix area, and with this ode to a sleepwalker, manage to come up with a fairly adept record, tinged with just enough originality to make it viable.



Songs like 'Till The Morning Lighte' draw obvious connections to the aforementioned System of a Down, with its breaks from spacy temporal clean vocal phrases to maniacal dirty vocaled rants, yet (Sic)Monic's sort of avant-garde use of melody adds a new dimension squarely their own. There's an avant-garde feel to the guitars as well, often forgoing traditional chugga chugga style for a more eclectic use of tone and mode. The title track uses a bit of the same formula, yet is even crazier, a powerful tune, quite possibly the standout track on the record, fast, brutal, melodic, with awesome guitars and frenetic drum work.



Bottom line, we're dealing with a band honing their own style, pushing the boundaries a bit... So many good songs here, 'Illumination' writhes with emotion, a powerful vocal job, while 'Of Blood and Grace' takes a bit of a Linkin Park vibe and turns it completely Metal and massively emotive, intelligent, and brutal, without abandoning melody, while expanding song structure to include things other than verse/chorus/verse/chorus etc. etc.