Sinister - Legacy of Ashes (2010)

Sinister might not have produced the very best output in the Dutch death metal legacy, but I'd never deny that they've been the most consistent band hailing from that scene. Their 9th full-length album, Legacy of Ashes, is yet another example of why the band has become synonymous with reliability, an unending titan of forceful butchery that is almost always guaranteed to deliver a reasonable and focused effort, even through what seems to be an ever shifting roster of musicians (no change here from the previous full-length The Silent Howling in 2008, but after recording this they've already hired on a new bass player in Creepmime's Joost Van der Graaf).

Legacy of Ashes features all of the hallmark blasting and punching brutality they've celebrated from their early 90s classics, but with a notable element of thrashing abandon in the riffs that dominated efforts like 1998's Aggressive Measures. I'd almost compare this to the reunion effort Resurrection Macabre from countrymen Pestilence, only that album was more mechanical and repetitious, while this cranks up the aggression, Aad's gruff gutturals sounding similar in their delivery to Patrick Mameli's latest assaults. The material ranges from rapid, atmospheric hostility in "The Sin of Sodomy" or "Into the Blind World" to a few more primal, groove oriented tracks with some savage mute storms that fall somewhere between Slayer and Vader, ala "The Enemy of My Enemy" or "Legacy of Ashes" itself. Some of the more impressive constructions lie deeper into the playtime, like the battering of "The Hornet's Nest" with its taut and reckoning death/thrash outbreaks, or "Righteous Indignations" with its discordant, arching rhythms, but it's consistent enough throughout.

The songs do tend to lack truly killer individual guitar riffs that will sucker your speakers into cyclic masturbation, but on the whole I'd say you get a good, sore neck from this effort, more so than its direct predecessor at least. A few of their albums have lapsed into monotony, but Legacy of Ashes feels slightly more distinct; some clear variation in the tracks, yet still enough of the straight forward components that most have come to associate with Sinister through their 20+ years of existence when they're looking to stand directly in harm's way. No punches are pulled here, it's just tough as nails death metal without indulgent virtuosic tendencies or pedestrian wanking, and likely worth hearing if you're a fan of the band's last decade of material, or their related projects like Infinited Hate, Houwitser or Supreme Pain.

Verdict: Win [7.25/10]

http://www.sinister-hailthebeast.com/

Sinister - Diabolical Summoning (1992)

21 years have passed since the formation of Sinister, one of Holland's most persistent death metal acts. Though most of their albums are good, the band have never sadly achieved the level of recognition that many of their peers rose to. It's a shame, because the first few albums are better than the overrated early 90s output of a Deicide, Hypocrisy or Cannibal Corpse. I can't claim that any of the 8 Sinister albums is a masterpiece, but Diabolical Summoning was certainly a Dutch gem which stands alongside Pestilence, Creepmine and Gorefest as a strong offering to the genre.

For the period, Sinister were quite a tight and unrelenting band. Diabolical Summoning pops with aggression, whether it's the sick fuck drumming of Aad Kloosterwaard, the unending axe brutality, or the gruff barking of Mike van Mastrigt. The band was every bit as moshpit friendly as their American counterparts, with alternate bursts of speed and breakdowns, very much comparable to an early Suffocation or Cannibal Corpse, and for this album, better. Tracks like "Magnified Wrath" and "Sense of Demise" groove with abandon, hellish battering and bludgeoning tones that sound heavy as fuck even by the standards of the 21st century. The album grows a little more interesting during its latter half, with the punishing "Leviathan", the riffy, grinding "Desecrated Flesh" and the mystical destruction of "Tribes of the Moon".

Ceremony to transform
Occult sepruchral rite
Judge me with thy blood
For cabal is my name
Time has come
for my ancient transfiction

Diabolical Summoning is sick, sick enough that any fan of brutal death metal, whether past or ultramodern, should own it and relish its insanity. The riffs are consistently entertaining, and leads sear and the drumming should hold the attention of the more ADD brutes who demand it. I would say this still ranks as my favorite Sinister album.

Highlights: Magnified Wrath, Leviathan, Desecrated Flesh, Tribes of the Moon

Verdict: Win [8.5/10] (fire among the blackened shapes)

http://www.sinister-hailthebeast.com/