This appears to be Sinister’s ninth studio album (not to mention live albums, EPs and a whole host of other releases). There seems to be no stopping these Dutch death metal veterans since their reformation in 2005, having cranked out some consistently decent albums as well as a `best of’ and a DVD. For many death metal fans, these relentless riffsters hit a peak too early with their first two crushing albums, and then declined rapidly with a host of mediocre releases (depending on who you ask). Let’s see how this new album fares in comparison...
First off, once the atmospheric intro has finished, this sounds a lot like the Sinister I remember from `Cross The Styx’ – aggressive, violent and frantic. The guitar tone walks that fine line between grisly death metal and razor-sharp thrash, and the bands trademark aggressive riffing is found in abundance; lots of frenetic, muted single note riffs and great thrashing power chords come crashing out of the speakers at you. Don’t sit too close, or your face will be tenderised and ready for Gordon Ramsay to serve to posh food snobs in a swanky restaurant. There are indeed some colossal, mighty riffs on this album, riffs that claw their way into your brain and stay there; definitely reminiscent of past glories.
Former drummer Aad Kloosterward is now handling vocal duties for the band, and handling them very well from what I can tell! His gruff and menacing growls remind me a lot of Frank Mullen from Suffocation, and are almost as intense. His annunciation is very clear, and the words are spat out with a great degree of venom. Drummer Edwin Van Den Eeden also performs brilliantly on the album, with some great blasting and a lot of dynamics, something that is sadly lacking in a lot of modern death metal.
This isn’t what I would call a classic album however, it’s not consistently great all the way through. There are some great moments peppered throughout the album, moments where you think `ah yes, that’s definitely Sinister of old’ – my favourite track on the album is `The Enemy of my Enemy’ which could have been lifted from Diabolical Summoning, and has fantastic riffs, great dynamics and a lot of dark, dramatic atmosphere. Some of other songs however, seem somewhat less ambitious and have a habit of passing by relatively unnoticed. I suspect that might be rectified with repeated listens – even on the less memorable songs there are still moments that stand out. Sinister have gone out of their way to add extra touches of atmosphere to the bludgeoning, and it is good to see them grow creatively.
To sum up – a good Sinister album, although not a great one. Fans of the band will definitely appreciate this album, it stands head and shoulders above their unpopular mid-period material, although it doesn’t quite reach the dizzy heights of their first two releases.
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