Single Review: XII.IX

Hamilton heavy hitters Seas of Conflict are back and mark their return with one of their most emotionally charged, progressively beautiful and heavily sombre tracks to date, entitled XII.IX.

I expect this is everything Seas fans and new listeners will embrace with excited open ears. We have seen throughout the last few years; their sound has continually evolved while still maintaining their signature print. It’s so refreshing when bands and artists progress through the genre box and evolve and do it in a way, where they don’t alienate their fan base but don’t bore them to death with the same formula. Musicians grow and change and when they find the balance for their art, it can deliver amazing results.

Set for release on 12 September 2021, XII.IX has a modern progressive metal/rock design, but the journey it takes you on reveals many more layers. The body of the music revolves around a core riff, initially clean, layered and emotive. The bass tone and riff is a stand out (courtesy of ex bassist Alex Mott), well placed and elevates the song into its next sequence. As the song builds, it drops into waves of groove, heavy but still clear with the drums and guitars locked in tight to each other. As it then ascends into its final sequence, the addition of tremolo guitar and synth adds to the heightened emotion, paralleling the vocals and creating an epic climax. Huge credit to Nic Martin, who handled both the drums and guitar duties along with creating the musical scenery of XII.IX

A huge standout and obvious driving force behind this song is vocalist Kody Naidoo. Lyrically and vocally, he is able to create a visual and emotional story through his vocal range and carries the changing mood along with the music. As a vocalist known for his prolific screamed vocals and low growls, he has honed his own dynamic clean vocal range. We heard pieces of this in previous singles but this song brings it to another level and is elevated further by the passionate delivery of the lyrics and a deeply personal story. Tied in with international quality production from producer Zorran Mendonsa, stand out songwriting and next level vocals, this song is a hell of a comeback.

I sit in anticipation for what is next but am also thoroughly enjoying this latest offering on repeat.