It’s time for Sinistrum to release its debut album.
After a first EP in 2022, the band composed of Scott Briggs (vocals, Coffin Stench, Fornicus, ex-Aeons of Eclipse… ), Garrett Netto (guitar, Effigy), Timmie Ball (guitar, Abominant, ex-Sarcoma), Craig Netto (drums, Effigy, ex-Sarcoma, ex-Abominant) and Mike May (bass, Effigy, Abominant, ex-Sarcoma) collaborate with Adirondack Black Mass and Morbid and Miserable Records for the release of Infernal Dawn.
The album kicks off with Infernal Dawn, the eponymous title track, which immediately sets down Old School Death Metal roots that the band complements with ominous elements, then virulent Thrash influences and ferocious vocal parts. The wave of raw strength leads us into Abomination Rising, where the band accentuates the sharp chaotic leads while keeping an aggressive approach where the jerky rhythmics easily trample us. The morbid howls carry us through to Godforsaken and Bleeding, which features regular accelerations to reinforce the explosive, dissonant riffs the musicians develop, before allowing themselves a slightly slower, more melodic passage. Harmonics resurface on Legacy in Barbarity, revealing heady aerial flights as well as moments of soothing clean vocals, before Death Omen return to pure violence at full speed before offering a slower but just as catchy march. The band follows up with Morbid Reality, a solid track with vivid influences that remain energetic even when the screaming guitars come into play, then Deus Mortis slightly slows the tempo to offer a haunting sound tinged with eerie Doom, which is finally exposed at a higher speed. Growls and dark tones come together again on Malicious Imprisonment, the next track, for an outpouring of sheer savagery, but it’s with Hordes of Hell that the five musicians return to their occult influences, coupling them with occasional playful riffs. The massive final takes us to Traverse the Swarm, the final composition, on which melancholy first takes center stage, before the rhythm section gives us a final, neck-stirring battering.
Sinistrum‘s Old School blend is relatively effective, whether at full speed or in the more melodious parts. The band’s influences are easily identifiable on Infernal Dawn, and the album will speak volumes to fans of solid, easy-listening riffs.
75/100