10 Years of Sativa Album Review

8 Foot Sativa. What can I say, has it only been 10 years? These guys in my mind are the best NZ Metal band ever. I’m a die hard 8 Foot fan and always will be, and this album features all their best material to date.

8 Foot have had three main singers in the band over their career and this release pays tribute to them all. The first seven tracks are from the Justin (Jackhammer) Niessen era and then there are two tracks from the Matt Sheppard album and then there are four tracks from the Ben Read era. 

All the best are here kicking off with their name sake track from their first album way back in 2002 8 Foot Sativa and then kicking into Believer which received mainstream success through the movie The Locals. Fuel Set is up next which has always been a pit favourite and then into the title track from their first album Hate Made Me. We then get treated to 3 tracks from the Season for Assault album starting off with the title track then another pit favourite Chelsea Smile rounding of the songs from that album out with Destined To Be Dead.

Next up are two Matt Sheppard (Sinate) songs. Matt stepped in on vocals for the album Breed The Pain and the songs featured from this era come in the form of Breed The Pain and I Live My Death. Although Jackhammer wasn’t on vocals this album is still killer and Matt did a great job keeping 8 Foot alive and kicking.  

Ben Read formally of Ulcerate and now with Mark of Man stepped in to fill the vocal role for the last album Poison of Ages and brought a whole new level of brutality to the vocals. We get three songs from that album Emancipate, Thumbs, Eye-socket, Love and We, The Termites. At this point in the bands history Gary Smith was the only original band member left so the album stays true to the 8 Foot Sativa sound. The album ends with the track Sleepwalkers which was only ever released as a single and features Ben on vocals.

This album is a must have release for fans of 8 Foot to get them amped up for the reformation of the band. 8 Foot are about to hit the studio with original members Jackhammer and Brent Fox (bass) back in the fold and Cory Friedlander coming back to the Drum stool. They have also added Perditionist guitarist Nik Davies into the line up. The new album is due in July and I for one can’t wait to hear the new material. NZ metal at its finest.

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