Band: Sinister
Title: Legacy Of Ashes
Label: Massacre Records
Distribution: Suburban - Bertus
Release date: December 17th 2010
Review: CD

The Holland-based band Sinister was formed at the end of the eighties and nowadays consists of one original member, Aad Kloosterwaard, also (formerly) active in, for example, Houwitser, Infinited Hate / Weapons To Hunt, and Blastcorps; all of them bands wherein some other (former) Sinister-members are / were active with. In the early years, Sinister released some nice demos and splits (amongst which a split with Monastery, still one of the best vinyl-splits from the early nineties – ivan) and a first full length followed in 1992, called Cross The Styx; I do consider this release a cult-release. Between this debut and the split-up (see below), five other full lengths were released, some of them satisfyingly strong, some pathetically unnecessary.
Due to internal problems, Sinister split up, and Aad continued with a band called No Face Slave, together with Alex Paul, who joined Sinister’s ranks in 1997 (originally on bass, then as guitar player). The material written for No Face Slave, however, was very similar to what these guys had in mind for Sinister, and the duo decided to resurrect their original band; we’re talking 2005. Sinister recruited two Judgement Day-members, Paul Beltman on drums and bass player Bas van den Bogaard (both of them also involved with Blastcorps and Infinited Hate / Weapons To Hunt), and in 2006 a new full length got released. This album, Afterburner, probably was the best thing the band did since their 1992-debut. In 2008, the next full length was ready to please us, and believe it or not: this one was even better than the former one. Damn, it seemed that, since the rebirth of the band, they had never been as orgiastic!
In between, a live-album (and DVD) and a compilation were released as well, and last year (2010), the band (Aad and Alex, and new drummer Edwin van den Eeden) recorded the ninth studio full length at the famous German Soundlodge Studio (Inhume, Dew-Scented, God Dethroned, The Seventh etc).
[FYI: shortly after, a new bass player was recruited as well to be able to perform live: Joost Van De Graaf of Cypher- and Creepmime-fame - ivan]

Legacy Of Ashes lasts for about thirty eight minutes and it gets released through German label Massacre Records again. Qua approach it is, of course, comparable to both former albums, which were, as mentioned before, the best things the band ever did (with exception of that debut). This means: harsh, uncompromising and old fashioned Brutal Death Metal with a no-nonsense and straight-forward mentality (or better: lacking of modernised bullshit). It was just the sound / production that was much more professional and 21st-century’s.
But, oh my oh my oh my, what went wrong this time? No inspiration? No will? No drive? Sinister do not convince at all, and most songs on Legacy Of Ashes are so ‘common’. All right, Sinister have never aimed to be Holland’s most original formation – why should they… But it is rather sad to wait for a highlight that does not come. And lacking originality isn’t that terrible, if performed decently. …like it was the case with both former full lengths. But this time it comes close to annoyance and predictability. The archaic, sterile riffs and solos, the drums (blast patterns and double bass), the deep-guttural vocals, the tempo-changes, it is so dull most of the time.
The second part of the album is better than the first songs, but as a matter of fact, only the title track and Righteous Indignations stand out.
Mainstream and average…

70/100

Ivan Tibos.