(Metal-Integral.com)
Formé en 2008 par le bassiste John GAFFNEY (ex de PALE DIVINE) et par le batteur Darin McCLOSKEY (PALE DIVINE), SINISTER REALM réussit avec ce premier album sur Shadow Kingdom un tour de maître. Le groupe a sciemment choisi un registre de pur heavy metal, parfois teinté de sonorités propres au doom classique. Inutile de détailler ces neuf compositions, aucune ne démérite et toutes mettent en oeuvre un heavy metal très 80’s, avec la concision rythmique d’un JUDAS PRIEST, les structures à tiroirs d’un IRON MAIDEN et les ambiances épiques d’un BLACK SABBATH période DIO. L’ambiance est guerrière au possible, les ambiances tour à tour sinistres et épiques, les mélodies très soignées, la performance des cinq musiciens irréprochable. Saluons en particulier le travail impeccable du soliste Keith PATRICK (adepte des soli très construits) et du chanteur Alex KRISTOF, adepte d’un chant clair, très expressif, posé sur de vraies lignes de chant.
Ajoutons que le son combine la puissance adéquate et une clarté permettant de distinguer chaque instrument et d’aérer l’ensemble, à des années lumière des productions du type mur du son propres à trop d’albums metal aujourd’hui.
Vous l’aurez compris, cet album représente une synthèse brillante du classicisme metal issu des années 80 et d’une manière bien personnelle de décliner ce classicisme. Assurément en must de cette année 2009 !
(SlowEnd.com)
l n'y a pas que l'epic doom dans la vie, il y a aussi le heavy metal.
Ça tombe bien, c'est une vision des choses que semble tout également partager le jeune label américain Shadow Kingdom, qui avec Sinister Realm, peut se vanter d'une excellente pioche supplémentaire.
Car voilà tout à fait le genre de disque qui ravira l'adolescent crétin qui sommeille en vous, celui qui s'est pris une claque monumentale le jour où il a découvert les premiers Manowar, une seconde lorsqu'il succomba aux vieux Judas Priest, et une troisième lorsqu'il prit connaissance avec Wino de l'existence de types qui comme lui, finirent par considérer le speed comme la plus regrettable erreur de parcours sur laquelle a pu buter le hard rock.
En présence donc : du heavy mid-tempo, tournant '70s, des riffs de tueurs, le son énorme d'un Wall of Sleep, un chant furieusement cuir et clou et pourtant si contenu, des arrangements ultra fouillés témoins d'un boulot extraordinaire, des leads et des solos fantastiques de feeling et d'efficacité, et sponsor officiel de la classe depuis l'invention des flying-v : il y a même des refrains avec des chœurs.
Une véritable leçon d'élégance.
Sinister realm en trois mots : racé, old-school, retenu
(Metal-Temple.com)
Shadow Kingdom Records is specializing in lightning up defenders of the classic Metal glory; think of other past and present labels such as e.g. the Miskatonik Foundation, Doomed Planet, High Roller Records, Steel Gallery, Eat Metal Records, Iron Kodex, O.P.M. Records...What? Never heard of them? Well, I suppose - then - SINISTER REALM should not be your cup of tea, really. Which is rather a pity for you, especially if you avidly declare your support to the mighty traditional/’true’ Metal style...
...which is what SINISTER REALM throws on the table in their debut full album. The Pennsylvania-based quintet’s 2008 demo circulated enough in underground circles and - finally - all its four tracks made it to this 2009 release. Witnessing the hordes of traditional Metal revivalists in Sweden and Germany the last 3-4 years, most of them offering successful works anyway, it is always nice to see the underground spirit of America is still alive and kicking. Let’s not forget 80s US Metal bands inherited and filtered most of what British Metal of the early 80s generously achieved, adding their own specifications and rules.
SINISTER REALM is as classic/doom Metal as it can get, objections overruled. You may consider them to be an epic Metal band, due to some of the vocal patterns or enough of the pace choices, but I think what this band portrays is its love for the very spine of Metal music as we knew in its birth/prime. BLACK SABBATH (Dio era, the most), the dark side of BLUE OYSTER CULT, IRON MAIDEN (first four albums?), 70s JUDAS PRIEST, Ozzy’s Rhoads era, DIO, the crawling side of MANOWAR, the theatrics of TITAN FORCE, CANDLEMASS and even RAINBOW ("Rising" era, of course). The compositions easily show the class of this band, no questions asked. The highlight is the impressive guitar melodies, worked at full level and always matching the pompous yet genuine vocal harmonies. Oriental smells, northern rides, British steels, epic outlooks, warrior vows, all these without a real pale flash in 46 minutes dressed in something so simple yet rarely witnessed even in ’true Metal’ vanguards of today; music by heart...
If this band releases this album as its first one, I cannot even imagine how hopeful SINISTER REALM’s future is, for Metal’s sake. Try and capture the moments in "Message From Beyond"’s atmosphere, "March Of The Damned"’s lament, "Enter The Sinister Realm"’s instrumental craze and "Machine God"’s heroism and try to match "Sinister Realm" with most (labeled) Metal releases out the last couple of years. OK, promotion and mass hypnosis are lethal acts for the unspoken, but - at least - try and resist SINISTER REALM’s authentic metallic craving before giving in for another commercial CD/download.
P.S.: What a fuckin’ great cover...
(MetalCrypt.com)
Like a punch to the nose, shattering bone and tearing flesh, Sinister Realm introduce their brand of rocking, heavy-as-fuck guitar mongering, shout-along choruses, stomping leads and powerhouse drumming. This is a classic Heavy Metal band in the vein of early Manowar, with its rattling bass and thunking guitars and melodious leads, if they decided to team up with Doomsword to write music. That alone should be enough for you to shut the fuck up, close this website and go buy this fucker.
However, it has come to my attention that some of you may need further persuasion. Thus, let me turn off my objective, critical demeanor, strip myself of any kind of higher literary needs, and just review this album from the perspective of a big fan of this genre.
Just listen to the opening verse of "Machine God," in which vocalist Alex Kristof belts some of the most triumphant, powerful lines I have heard out of any modern bands. Effective, worldly, concise. And then later on, that "Dying SUN, fading LIGHT…" bit that comes in, with the choir backing and the lead behind it…this, folks, is how you play Heavy Metal. It helps that the leads on this song are reminiscent of the great Slough Feg.
"Demon Seed" is simply better than anything you will ever do. That isn't to say you cannot move on to write something good, too, but "Demon Seed" is just too damned cool. Listen to that earthshaking riff, and the way the chorus repeats itself over and over, becoming more glorious each time, sung in a slightly bigger, better voice than the last. Or perhaps it is just so good that it simply sounds better to the human ear every time one hears it. "Message from Beyond" is darker and more solemn, carrying a militaristic march to it that evokes early Candlemass as well as any band ever did – and maybe better.
"Mongol Horde" blares through the speakers with a stupidly simple gallop and driving tempo, but it just works, making you bang your head and especially making you feel the Mongol Horde, as Kristof sings, his voice confident and muscular in its clarity. "Enter the Sinister Realm" is an instrumental with delights abound, with wild solos and galloping bass lines and deft guitar work on all sides, assaulting with the fire of a thousand burning stars. Every song rules – it is just a question of how much?
This is just awesome. It reinforces everything good about classic metal – the riffs are crunchy and heavy and stomp like no tomorrow, the vocals are clean, powerful and masculine (I had to cut the review down to avoid repeating myself in quoting him), the production is great, allowing for the bass to be heard and for every other instrument to have its due clarity, and the whole air, everything about this, is made with metal in heart, soul and mind. Check it out.
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