Back in 2003, Sinister had called it quits due to the group's internal problems. Eventually, Aad and Alex, members of Sinister, reformed the band two years later, and in 2006, Sinister returned with their seventh full-length recording, Afterburner. Given the three year gap, in the end it felt like the band had never gone away, but when it came to the material the band released for their reunion album, Afterburner proved that a hiatus was exactly what the band needed. Still signed to Nuclear Blast Records, the material on this release felt more like the direction they were going before introducing Rachel as the group's vocalist and re;easomg Creative Killings through a different label, and with a refreshed line-up change, that progress prior to the steps backwards are continued with great intensity.
Sinister basically explode back onto the Death Metal scene with a highly technical approach that was packed with fury and aggression, as well as fantastic gutterals that felt intimidating and commanding right from the start, perfectly matching the brutal atmosphere of the music on this recording. All this hits the listener as soon as the first track, "The Grey Matter", storms through the speakers and grabs him or her by the throat with it's teeth, refusing to let go. Of course, the music does have more a modern feel to the production, and often feel more slick then anything, which is fine, but given the brutality of the music on this release, it often feels like it is in the way of a more raw-sounding vibe that would have enhanced the music a little more, perhaps a slightly muddier production compared to such a clear sound that has a razor sharp edge to it and the instruments. Of course, this intensity doesn't really last through the album, and the songs do manage to slow down, and often aren't quite as impressive.
"Afterburner" is one of the slower tracks on this release, and definitely not the first, as that honor goes to "Men Down". This song, however, does incorporate a less technical approach, sticking primarily to a more groovey idea at times, while just being composed mostly of slowly moving generic Death Metal. While it is the title track, the song really isn't all that impressive, and feels a little excessive with being nearly five minutes long starting after the third minute. It's not a bad song, but it just doesn't really feel as strong as "Men Down" or other slower tracks on this recording. The same can be said with the following "Presage of the Mindless", another slower paced track that does feel a little stronger, but mostly thanks to the more march-heavy approach to the music, especially the marching war drums that are used about a third of the song in as a bridge. These tracks are definitely consistent, but just simply don't have much of a bite to them, and there isn't much of an atmosphere. "Presage of the Mindless", however, does manage to pick up after a while, being a little faster and heavier, and finding an atmosphere to this somewhat faster tracks. These changes in speed make the song a little more complex, which is a good thing considering the song's over seven and a half minute track length, and the band's ability to make it not sound as repetitive as possible, and they do a decent job of it.
One of the main reasons the album sounds so solid is easily not just from the sharper production, but also from the band's then line-up change. New members were brought in to solidify the band, but for fans, it was an odd twist. First of all, Alex Paul, who joined in 1997, had also recorded the guitars for this release, and his song writing skills for this album are shown nicely with each furious track that Afterburner possesses. On top of that, Aad Kloosterwaard, one of the founding members of the band and drummer since 1988, has stepped down and taken over the job of vocals, which was a huge plus for this album thanks to the strong vocal performance that honestly feels natural for a Death Metal effort of this caliber. It's also a nice touch because it gives the new members an ability to shine and add to the older positions and make this album stand out. The bass lines here stand out, though more the traditional "copy the guitarist" formula, not really offering much new or refreshing, but the drumming feels much stronger and more energetic then on previous albums, really taking over some of the tracks such as making "The Riot Crossfire" a stronger, more crushing track that will instantly have the listener's head banging involuntarily. All of which really covers a good majority of the album, aside for "Afterburner" and "Presage of the Mindless" which feel a little bland due to their slower nature, but all wrapping nicely with "Flesh of the Servant" bringing things back to the more technical Death Metal approach that this release started out with, and where Sinister really shines through this time around.
| 2011 Reissue |
Afterburner is the eigth CD in the Altered Since Birth box set. At this point, it's obvious what to expect. The CD comes in a digipack with no booklet, the information being in the ninety six page book that comes with the release. The recording is also remastered in twenty four bit digital and it sounds nice, but there's no denying the album didn't sound impressive to start with given the year it was recorded. That isn't to say this version does sound a little sharper, but there's not that huge a leap between the sound of the original pressing, and this remastered version. This version of the CD also offers up four live bonus tracks, but those who have the 2009 split of Hate/Bastard Saints from Metal Mind already have these four tracks, they are just in a different order for some reason. The transitions on this one feel smooth, and even though these tracks appeared elsewhere and reorganized, the songs still seem to be like the original set list pulled without any tracks being shifted around. It's a little disheartening that there's no genuinely new bonus material on this release, but it's worth it if you don't have that 2009 split CD. However, if you are just looking for this reissue, unless you want the whole box set, it just doesn't really feel worth it since the remastering is nice, but doesn't have that much of a dramatic difference to the material on the CD.
As far as those live recordings go, however, again, they are clearly the same show. The songs are strong with their more raw recording quality, and the energy of the band on stage is definitely there, feeding off the crowd's reaction. Each song sounds stronger then the actual album, which is fantastic and shows the talent that the band does possess live compared to their studio material. These are great tracks to hear, especially if you have not been fortunate enough to see the band perform in real life. |
For a comeback album, Sinister got it right. Afterburner is a strong album that shows the band's better sides from the start of their career. Between groovey songs and technical ones, there's surely something here that any Death Metal fan will greatly enjoy. While there's a few songs here that just aren't as strong as the faster ones, this feels like a much stronger and matured release from a band who clearly needed it's space for a bit. All in all, if you haven't heard Afterburner, it's well worth a listen. However, the reissue feels a little lacking with the bonus material, housing already available material from another of the label's reissues (technically split release), but it's nice to see the tracks available again, even though the production from the twenty four bit remastering really didn't seem all that dramatically different to need a remaster in the first place. Which version to buy pretty much just becomes a question of taste really, and how much you're willing to spend to get the version you want.
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