SINISTER |
| The tracks are
: 1. Intro:The Upcoming 2. Aggressive Measures 3. Beyond The Superstition 4. Into The Forgotten 5. Enslave The World 6. Fake Redemption 7. Chained In Reality 8. Emerged With Hate 9. Blood Follows The Blood 'Aggressive Measures' is the second and long awaited album from Dutch band Sinister... Hang on a minute, that must go down as one of the under statements of the year or possibly even the decade. Why? Well, because since their formation back in 1988 (yes, that's right 1988), when they took the death metal world by storm with their debut 'Cross the Styx' and apart from 1996's mini LP 'Bastard Saints' that's it Why? Well to be absolutely honest, I haven't a clue, but for whatever reasons they have for such a small output over the years Sinister have lost none of their aggression and brutality that catapulted then to the forefront of the European Death Metal scene. The musicianship and song writing on 'Aggressive Measures' is absolutely flawless and there's enough variety in the songs to appeal to old school death metal freaks and those who have just discovered death metal over the last couple of years or so. The production is simply Shit Hot!! giving the whole album a mega-heavy feel without sacrificing the technical finesse for which the band were known for in the past. Pop this little beauty in the CD player and the first thing you notice is the ultra heavy rhythm that the band manage somehow to maintain throughout the entire nine tracks. Secondly the vocals are remarkably good (bearing in mind that this is a death metal album), instead of the now familiar growling noises, that puts a lot of people off this type of genre. Sinister's vocalist in most cases is quite clear and precise without ever losing the power and menace that their songs demand. These two elements combined give 'Aggressive Measures' a real even flow. To be fair all 9 tracks are first class death metal and it's very difficult to highlight any individual song. But if I had to choose my favourites, they would have to be the two opening numbers 'The Upcoming' and the title track 'Aggressive Measures'. 'The Upcoming' is the albums one and only instrumental, a dark and mean and moody affair which sets the listener up perfectly for the all out power assault of the title track which has a fine rhythm and some quite clever guitar riffs. The rather dark 'Chained In Reality', a song almost in two parts, starting off at a rather pedestrian pace before unleashing some really brutal riffs and the final track 'Blood Follows The Blood', is a song of true epic proportions, which not only highlights Sinister at their most brutal and extreme best, but also shows how far this brand of metal has progressed over the last decade. To those of you who are not familiar with death metal, you may find on first listening to 'Aggressive Measures', that it's just another death metal album, but dig a little deeper and you'll begin to notice the fine tuning, the attention to detail that Sinister have put into each track. I especially liked the guitar work, instead of going for the all out power riffs which at times can become a little bland after a few tracks, Sinister's more subtle use of riffs and solos added anew dimension to the songs and ultimately the whole album. Lets hope that 'Aggressive Measures' marks the return of Sinister full stop and we don't have to wait another ten years for the next follow-up. For those of you who found Death's 'The Sound of Perseverance', just a little overblown for it's own good, check out 'Aggressive Measures' right now, simply one of the best Death metal releases of the year. Released on Nuclear Blast, Hauptstrasse 109. 73 072, Donzdorf. Germany Website : http://www.nuclearblast.de Email: death@nuclearblast.de |