SINISTER – Legacy Of Ashes

In contrast to the reformed Old School Death Metal scene over the Netherlands with exemplary acts such as Asphyx, Thanatos, and Pestilence, the long time runners Sinister never abandoned their musical direction and steadily kept on manifesting their style of Death Metal with an even form for the past twenty-two years. Their new album, Legacy Of Ashes, isn’t that different from what they are used to creating. The things that have changed here aren’t too connected to the music, but pertain rather more to an administrative nature, such as new band members and very nice artwork.

The suitable phrase that can be inferred from Legacy Of Ashes (and Sinister in general) is “Brutality, but in a good taste”. Like any other Sinister album, this new release isn’t something that is hard to listen like some of the brutalized material coming out nowadays; this is pure classic brutality that only a few bands create and can still craft in today’s environment. The fact that Sinister’s hasn’t changed in the past two decades pretty much tells the tale. Their musical style still relies on partial constructive and complex riffages, and short, crude solos mixed with the angered speed of mayhemic base drum menace.

Furthermore, the quality of the performance hasn’t changed as well. The band’s guitarist since 2005, Alex Paul, discharged a full load of deathly demonic riffs, which are very common in Sinister. On Legacy Of Ashes, it’s the same surviving pattern all together, and it’s the same with other guys of the band too, including the down tune vocal lines by the band’s old drummer, Aad Kloosterwaard. What is most interesting regarding the band’s vocal line is that it never seemed to change even when the band switched vocalists … and they did switch four times since their formation in 1988. Everyone has sounded similar with almost the same abilities of the original dominant vocalist, Mike Van Mastrigt.

Generally, Legacy Of Ashes hasn’t changed anything for Sinister as they carried on doing what they know best, and that is playing good Old School Death Metal. Sinister isn’t done releasing its demons and probably won’t be for another decade. Nevertheless, with the album’s positive qualities, it doesn’t grade out beyond “good”, and it seems that there wasn’t an attempt to go farther than that. This course it set for Sinister and nothing seems to change their path.

Tracklist

1. Herd Of Damnation (Intro)
2. Into The Blind World
3. The Enemy Of My Enemy
4. Anatomie Of A Catastrophe
5. The Sin Of Sodomy
6. Legacy Of Ashes
7. The Hornet’s Nest
8. Righteous Indignations
9. The Living Sacrifice

Lineup

Aad Kloosterwaard – Vocals
Alex Paul – Guitar
Edwin van den Eeden – Drums
Joost Van De Graaf – Bass