SINISTER

The Silent Howling

Massacre Records/ CD 2008

It shouldn’t be surprising for everyone a fact, that SINISTER unfortunately isn’t the same band like before 15 or although 10 years anymore, even in spite of keeping the death metal course and in spite of big respect among the fans of brutal artistry. I don’t know which circumstances could to reason this state of reality, but the parting with a long standing label and joining to the group of bands gathered under the banner of smaller publisher, can to be one of the symptoms confirming today a small renumerativeness of this horde.

Although the comeback of Dutchmen with the previous album “Afterburner” before two years very effectively obliterated the bad impressions reasoned by albums released yet before the split-up, the other face of their music was something noticeable already by the first listening. We had of course to do with SINISTER playing death metal in purest form, but… Exactly. A few of changes happened in the band reunited in 2006 “for a special wish of his fans”. The drummer Aad, known from his blasting passages became a singer and the same – a mainman of the horde, and the bass player Alex – a guitarist and the same the main composer of group. It’s beyond all of doubts, that two members endured from the last line-up performed their duties more than correctly, but the differences between this stuff and being so big pieces of cult the albums like “Cross The Styx”, “Hate” or even “Aggressive Measures” absolutely were giving no sign as the legend of Dutch death metal had to remind about those times, returning to the world of living in the fame and glory. The lack of success was something normal, cause only just the name wasn’t able to guarantee a priority position and making Nuclear Blast a reach. Today, when SINISTER reminds itself again with the new and the first album released by Massacre, can’t to say about another kinds of changes, maybe except the question of line-up, working at this moment as a quartet, cause in band plays too now as the regular members Bas Van de Bogaard (bass) and Edwin Van den Eeden ( drums). The presence of new musicians brings however nothing special and nothing new into the whole of group’s artistry, cause 7 of songs filling “The Silent Howling” stays just in the greater part as the continuation of ideas included on the previous record. Of course, it’s not a monotonous stuff, there’s a lot of fast passages, mixed with the slowly elements, sometimes even with melodies, but still is very difficult to succumb to impression, that the new essence of SINISTER, in spite of so much characteristic issues, stays today something another and very different than this all, to that we have got accustomed through many best years of this band. As the main and self-evident of elements, deciding about it can to be mentioned the length of tracks, fluctuating within the bounds of 6 -7 minutes (the title track has above 10 minutes), although the others varieties like for example the keyboards in “Fortified Bravery” or declamation by the women’s voice (that’s not a gothic peeping, no fear!) in “The Kill To Come” or in the last track “If It Bleeds” are hearable immediately too… Hearing next a beginning of “Palace Of The Fates”, sounding so oriental, I was wondering myself or Aad and his partners in crime aren’t probably inspired by the power of NILE, overtaking anyway the Dutchmen for this day in every of inches? I don’t know… Perhaps. As a big advantage can to be registered also the sound of this album, produced by Jorg Uken in German Soundlodge Studio – here SINISTER tried to do something new too and the test ended itself favourably, cause “The Silent Howling” sounds really very fat and massive. The horrible cover artwork and the photos of members covered with blood still confirms the lack of any compromises and the fact, that the band’s name never was and still stays not coincidental. Resuming, SINISTER recorded this time very solid and beyond all of doubts death metal album, but the opinions of fans can to be of course and like always very different. I can just admit without of whole hypocrisy – it likes to me, but the power of sentiment is really enormous, so I would wish myself that Aad and his comrades could to remind themselves sometimes also their old productions.

10/12