Sinister - Deformation of the Holy Realm (2020)

Storied Dutch Death Metal outfit returns with a vengeance on “Deformation of the Holy Realm”. Unleashing nearly 45 minutes of crushing music, the band’s new line-up elevates their level of aggression to new heights. While many older bands keep to their guns and style, Sinister has been incorporating more modern Death Metal elements into their sound, allowing them to keep their signature style and stay relevant to new trends.

Creating a very regal and epic mood, the atmospheric opener “The Funeral March” perfectly leads the listener into the brutality of “Deformation Of The Holy Realm”. The track wastes no time in delivering blistering drumming, pummeling vocals and superbly crunchy riffs. New guitarist Michal Grall perfectly captures the band’s essence and gives it an extra level of brutality as we can hear on songs like “Apostles of the Weak” and the heabanging galore “Unbounded Sacrilege”.

The band’s agile and aggressive sound is quite evident from the nimbleness of tracks like “Unique Death Experience” and “Scourged by Demons”, which showcase the band’s old-school style with more modern and fresh sounding ideas. For us lovers of sheer brutality, “Suffering From Immortal Death” and “Oasis of Peace” both feature a certain Behemoth-esque vibe, thanks to pummeling drums and incisive riffs.

As the album comes to a close, we noticed the atmospheric opening of the last few songs, in particular for “The Ominous Truth” it adds an extra dimension and freshness to the band’s sound, while priming the listener for a brutal onslaught of riffs. As a whole, “Deformation of the Holy Realm” is one hell of a well crafted and engaging release. While many bands stick to their retro sound, kudos to Sinister for keeping things fresh and dynamic. If you like Death Metal with some nice flair added to it, this is an album to check out.

Label: Massacre Records

Release: May 29th, 2020

Genre: Death Metal

Country: Netherlands