Mikee Goodman, Sad Season, Sikth
A Profile of Mad Genious and Metal/Folk Vocalist Mikee Goodman
From an outside perspective, the role of the vocalist may seem like the most straightforward part of creating good metal - just develop a rasp in the throat and abide by the generic textbook of metal song writing. It’s always refreshing to find bands of the genre capable of bringing more originality and integrity to this sum of the equation, and few have turned the rulebook on its head in quite the same way as singer, poet and producer, Mikee Goodman.
SikTh
In 1999, Mikee Goodman joined progressive metal devastators SikTh, a South East London based band that combined experimental jazz rhythm with explosive thrash/death metal riffs and relentlessly quirky guitar scales. Their sheer individuality and string of energetic live shows attracted an instant cult following in their home country and overseas.
Humour and surrealism were a major part of the bands character, largely created by the dueling sings/ screams/ rants of Mikee Goodman and co front man Justin Hill. Goodman and Hill took equal shares of bringing a competent and original voice to SikTh, giving added breath to the bands unique sound. Though Justin Hill held his ground as a talented and versatile metal vocalist, it was Mikee Goodman, with his wide display of twisted, angry and undeniably bizarre vocal persona's, who wrote nearly all of SikTh’s lyrics, and brought new dimension to the band's personality.
Goodman's Lyrics
Goodman displayed a surreal, unique and often disgruntled outlook on society, commenting on the ignorant and hypocritical attitudes of people and their effect on the world around them. These musings could be heard clearly in tunes such as Pussyfoot, with the lyrics. “Sheep ridden country, they pretend that it’s so free. Falling bleeding, never really question why they die” and Scent of the Obscene: “ One day you will see, the half man which you aspire to be. With your selfish lies and your selfish greed, you f***** lied to me.”
The plight of the natural environment and the struggle of surviving in a world of bland conformity were obviously reflective of Goodman’s own personal feelings. And his masterful use of poetic language made cranking up a SikTh album truly memorable. Lines such as “As the dove rains blood over the streets. Man made mechanical thunder” on Bland Street Bloom and “On top of the world, in a plastic ashtray” in Where do we fall? are so profound they’re difficult ever to forget.
Goodman's Poetry
Even more notable were his spoken word poems, heard on both SikTh albums and featuring only Mikee’s voice. In When will the Forest Speak? Goodman cast his vocal talents to create a multitude of angry, brooding characters that were as varied as they were bizarre. Lines such as ‘Forest fires, crooked liars. Why am I so sullen and drained?” and “A table, A chair, An internet nightmare. When will the forest speak. When all is dried up and way too weak?” were so popular with fans, that the poem was often chanted at Mikee’s command at live shows.
Life after SikTh
SikTh sadly broke up in 2008. Since then, Goodman has put his voice to numerous other musical projects, contributing a number of times to heavy British showcase band This is Menace, and more recently, a Japanese, undeniably SikTh inspired, outfit named Cyclamen.
He also followed a different musical direction with Sad Season, a mellow yet rugged folk outfit unsigned by any label. His voice and lyrics were unmistakably Mikee, familiar to any SikTh listeners, yet fittingly used in a genre dissimilar to his past metallic ventures. As with his previous pieces of poetry, his contribution to Sad Season demonstrated that there would be more to Goodman's musical career than just metal.
The Future for Goodman
Sad Season have disbanded for the time being, and Mikee Goodman is currently working as a producer, seeking to find fresh new sounds in non elitist genres of music.
Mikee Goodman is a musician of versatility. Those who listen to him will know that for any genre, there is room for experimentation and diversity. Particularly in metal, Goodman’s philosophy commands listeners to break the rules, not so much in the way he does, but in whichever way makes a person happiest.
Sikth, Death of a Dead Day
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Sikth, Death of a Dead Day
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