Sinister, The Carnage Ending
Sinister has had their fair share of lineup changes through the years. The latest, occurring in 2011, sees sole remaining original member and vocalist Aad Klooserwaard pretty much folding the entire cast of Absurd Universe (one of his other death metal projects) into this legendary band. So pretty much what we have here is… well, honestly, I don’t know. What I do know though is that The Carnage Ending is a pretty bestial album and keeps the Sinister flag flying high — until the next lineup change.
I still remember the moment I saw Cross the Styx cassette on the shelves at Tower Records (if my memory serves me correctly) back in ‘92. The skull on that cover called to me, the music within drew me in even deeper. The band had me hooked for a while, until, unfortunately they became a bit predictable and stagnate, and like many bands of the time faded from my memory. Receiving this promo for The Carnage Ending tells me two things. Firstly, it shows a drive and stubbornness on Klooserwaard’s part in not letting the legacy of this band fade from everyone’s memories, resurrecting the brand from the River Styx. Secondly, after a fairly lengthy series of pretty lackluster releases, Sinister have delivered a heap of their best music in a long time.
The eleven tracks on The Carnage Ending may still not push boundaries, even perhaps falling into familiar and comfortable patterns, but damn it do they show the band truly focused on more developed songwriting and crisper performances. “Unheavenly Domain,” the first proper track after a rather ill-fitting intro, is proof enough that the guys are ready to beat your cranium inside out with chugging, memorable riffage and manic drum work. The song is a proper return to form if ever there was one. The production on the band’s tenth studio album certainly doesn’t hurt the album’s cause either as it’s beefy and full, just what the bruising death metal within its depths needed.
“Thy Casual Enemy” injects some groove into the chugging riffs along with an overall slower pace (punctuated by frantic blasts) while “Crown of Thorns” gets Medieval on your ass with a bruising, methodical build-up before unleashing thrashing hell with machine gun drum work and driving riffs. The title track carries a heavy Slayer-like influence, especially in the lead work, as the guys belt it out as ferociously as they can. I love the opening salvo of riffs that introduces “Blood Ecstasy.” And album closer, “Final Destroyer” has some of the more memorable guitar work peppering it’s manic depths and much more atmosphere than the rest of the disc.
The Carnage Ending is as straightforward as modern death metal can get without losing the listener. The music here is full, powerful and delivered with a renewed urgency that I haven’t heard from the band in quite some time. Fans of the band will be happy to know that it looks like Sinister are back with a vengeance.