UMUR
"Gods of the Abyss" is an EP release by Dutch death metal act Sinister. The EP was released through vic Records in June 2017. The EP bridges the gap between the band´s 13th and 14th full-length studio albums "Syncretism (2017)" and "Deformation of the Holy Realm (2020)". The four tracks on "Gods of the Abyss" were however already recorded in 2004-2005. When Sinister split-up in 2003 drummer Aad Kloosterwaard and guitarist/bassist Alex Paul formed No Face Slave to continue playing death metal, but the new material they wrote for the project sounded so much like their old band, that they opted to ressurrect Sinister and continue that band instead. They added drummer Paul Beltman to the lineup and Kloosterwaard switched from drums to vocals. The new trio lineup recorded the four tracks on this release for a 2005 demo which resulted in Nuclear Blast Records signing Sinister for the release of their comeback album "Afterburner (2006)".
All four tracks from the demo/EP appear in re-recorded versions on "Afterburner (2006)". In fact it´s the four opening tracks (in a slightly different order) on the album. As the versions on "Afterburner (2006)" are better produced and therefore quite a bit more hard hitting and interesting (Kloosterwaard has also honed his skills as a growler on the album versions of the songs), "Gods of the Abyss" is a little unnecessary. There´s nothing wrong with the quality of the material and the EP features a well sounding production considering that it in its original form was a demo, but the demo versions just don´t add anything new to the picture, if you´ve already listened to "Afterburner (2006)" (which by the way I can highly recommend that you do...). Even the samples on "The Grey Massacre" and "Men Down" are the same. So upon conclusion "Gods of the Abyss" is a hardcore fan item, but a good quality one, and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.