Sinister
Hate
[Nuclear Blast]


This was by far one of the best, most brutal albums from 1995. I wasn't familiar with Sinister at all back then until I heard "Art of the Damned" from the 'UHF/VHF' compilation. That song blew me away with the almost non-stop double-bass, so I had to have the album. Needless to say, I was completely annihilated by the time the CD finished spinning.

The journey begins with the creaking of an old door opening into what can only be an occult ritual, complete with subdued death growls, that lasts for a minute or so. Then, just as the volume is turned up to hear the tail end of the introduction, "Awaiting the Absu" fucking blares through the speakers. Hell yeah! Loaded with blast, double-bass and catchy riffs, this song, this entire album, is worth listening to again and again. The songs follow in the same basic fashion as "Awaiting the Absu" (although not as long as that seven-minute ditty), this reviewer's favorites being "Awaiting the Absu", "Art of the Damned" (see reasons above), "To Mega Therion" (great double-bass intro) and "The Cursed Mayhem" (another nice double-bass intro). In all honesty, each song is memorable and just plain good. No keyboards, no clean vocals, no happy crap to be found, 'Hate' is brutal blasphemous death metal the way it should be. I can't imagine this band ever wimping out.


© 1999 goden