SINISTER — Syncretism (review)

SINISTER — Syncretism album cover Album · 2017 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
3.5/5 ·
UMUR
"Syncretism" is the 13th full-length studio album by Dutch death metal act Sinister. The album was released through Massacre Records in February 2017. It´s the successor to the covers album "Dark Memorials" from 2015, but the first album by the band with original material since "The Post-Apocalyptic Servant" from 2014. Along with artists like Pestilence, Asphyx, and Gorefest, Sinister were one of the influential acts on the Dutch death metal scene of the early 90s and they´ve continuously been releasing albums since their inception in 1988, with only a short break in activities during their 2003-2005 hiatus.

The material on "Syncretism" is old school US influenced death metal. It´s relatively brutal, technically well played, and slightly one-dimensional in style. It´s artists like Suffocation, Brutality, and Deicide that I´m reminded of at various points of the album. The growling vocals are of the type which are almost completely unintelligible, which to my ears is a real shame, as they would have been much more effective, had they been just slightly more intelligible. It´s brutal alright, but catching a word or a phrase just occasionally, usually provides death metal vocals with a vicious aggressive edge, that these vocals lack. I´m usually a big fan of Aad Kloosterwaard´s vocals, but I think he goes a bit overboard on this album. The instrumental part of the music is very well performed, and there are several killer riffs and powerful rhythms featured on the album, but also the rare more melodic moment to bring a little variation to the music. Atmospheric keyboards are also used frequently.

"Syncretism" features a brutal, raw, and powerful sound production, which suits the material perfectly. So most elements are in place for a nice brutal old school death metal experience, and in many ways "Syncretism" is the epitome of the genre. My above issue with the vocals is probably a matter of aquired taste, but to my ears it is a minor issue, and "Syncretism" doesn´t exactly feature a sound where you would instantly recognise that it is Sinister playing, so the lack of a unique sound is also a minor issue, which affects my overall rating. I´ve been a fan of Sinister for many years now, and I´ve always admired how well they´ve been able to combine brutality, catchiness, and grooves, but there´s been a change towards a more old school death metal sound and less brutal grooves on "Syncretism". The music has become a bit too one-dimensional for its own good and I´m missing the grooves, which I always thought was one of the band´s greatest features. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved though as "Syncretism" is still a high quality death metal release.
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
No shouts posted yet. Be the first member to do so above!

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Hin helga kvöl Atmospheric Sludge Metal
SÓLSTAFIR
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Cycles of Suffering Black Metal
BURIAL OATH
Buy this album from MMA partners
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter IV: To Shadow Zion Black Metal
PANZERFAUST
Buy this album from MMA partners
Facilis Descensus Averno Death Metal
SAEVUS FINIS
Buy this album from MMA partners
Merciless Crossover Thrash
BODY COUNT
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

DAWN OF REVENGE - Sanctuary [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Farewell [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Curtain of Death - [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - Vengeance [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
DAWN OF REVENGE - I Need You [official music video]
DAWN OF REVENGE
Bosh66· 5 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed