Sinister - The Post-Apocalyptic Servant
Let me apologize in advance for sounding like a broken record when it comes to Sinister. I haven’t checked the archives, but I’d be willing to wager that any review I’ve done on them in the last decade hits the same spots more often than Tom Glavine in his prime. For instance, I most likely always mention that their obscenely underrated 1998 masterpiece Aggressive Measures is in my Top 3 Death Metal albums of all time (the other 2, if anyone’s curious, are Grave’s Into the Grave and Morbid Angel’s Covenant, in no particular order). Then I probably go on to poo on the media in general for failing to recognize the greatness and longevity of Sinister’s career with the same fervor as they do other groups with a similar tenure. Then maybe something about lineup changes, solid production, Aad Kloosterwaard being a bad motherfucker, etc. And then finally I boast about how good the album is. The critique never changes because Sinister never changes. The only question going into one of their releases is exactly how awesome it’s going to be, and with The Post-Apocalyptic Servant, these Dutchmen just may have penetrated their own Top 3. This LP absolutely fucking slays from start to finish. Blistering intensity, Aad’s best vocal performance in years, and outright sizzling with early-’90s Floridian energy throughout, this beast just doesn’t let up. Something tells me they’ve been listening to The Bleeding quite a bit in Schiedam. Just check out that string manipulation on “The Macabre God” and those basslines on “The Masquerade of an Angel.” Then there’s the Deicidal feel to “The End of All That Conquers” and —speaking of Covenant— the Azagthothian hooks that punctuate the verse riffs on the standout title track. Kicking and growling since ‘88, these guys have earned the right to borrow from the elder gods because they’re one of them, and the band from the early ’90s they resemble most actually turns out to be themselves. The classic vibe of Cross the Styx and Diabolical Summoning (my #2 from them while we’re at it) is successfully recaptured, albeit with enhanced chops via the new personnel. For furthermore proof of this ’90s state of mind, score the Limited Edition for spot-on renditions of Morbid Angel’s “Fall from Grace,” Paradise Lost’s “Deadly Inner Sense,” and… …Agent Steel???
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