Band:	The SLoT
Album:	Шестой
Style:	Alternative metal, Nu metal
Release date:	October 31, 2013
A review by:	ScreamingSteelUS

01. Побег / Escape
02. Бой! / Fight!
03. Если / If
04. Сочи / Sochi
05. Old School
06. Поколено / Knee-deep
07. Три сестры / Three Sisters
08. Хиромантия / Chiromanсy
09. Tру / True
10. Качели / The Swing
11. Ракета Для Поэта / A Rocket For A Poet
12. Скачать Бесплатно / Free Download
13. Просточеловек / Justhuman
14. Ангел Или Демон / Angel Or Demon [bonus]

It would take me four or five reviews to explain everything I think about Шестой, so I shall try to keep it simple. Ladies and gentlemen, I know what my album of the year is.

Шестой sounds to me like a cross-section of The SLoT's last three albums (not counting Break The Code). "Сочи" and "Три сестры" sound like dance remixes of songs from Тринити, "Скачать бесплатно" would fit comfortably on the second half of F5, and "Old School" was practically lifted from 4ever. It is wonderful to hear a band explore so many sounds and then wrap them up in this sort of overview - though of course they bring some new tricks, as always. The guitars, bass, and drums are all heavy, crunchy, and driving, but are not afraid to exercise some spacey-ness on songs like "Три сестры" or scale back for the cool, calm "Качели"; as usual, keyboards help drive the melodies, and the songs collect many different influences from the world of metal and beyond.

Without a doubt, the most remarkable aspect of Шестой are the vocals. Nookie has always been one of my favorite singers, but her style on 2 Wars sticks out in my mind as her best work. She began her career in The SLoT with a gritty, raw, and aggressive approach that brought a lot of heaviness to the band. Over the next few albums, she developed a cleaner, more operatic style that certainly worked better for the different material and still places her head-and-shoulders above nearly everyone else - but when "Бой!" started up I practically fell out of my seat. The harshness is back, and what a glorious return to this style Nookie has made. Not everywhere, of course, but any resurgence is long overdue and very welcome. Cache does not get enough credit for his vocals, which are a vital part of The SLoT; his performance here is also his best in ages.

Шестой is what would happen if Christmas, freshly-baked cookies, finding $100 on the ground, and warm, toasty socks all got together to make an album. In other words, wondrous. It raps, it rasps, it rocks, it rolls, it raves, it rules. For about 40 seconds towards the end of "Old School," it becomes Sepultura in a totally unprecedented left turn that practically threw me out of my chair. Again. This is easily The SLoT's best album since Тринити and easily my favorite release of 2013. I tried to devise a list of highlights, but I ended up naming half the album and recommending the other half anyway. "Бой!" and "Скачать бесплатно" are the two best, but the entire album is well worth a listen.