In 2009, Metal Mind Productions put out a number of Sinister reissues, but they never really saw the light of day in the States. One of them is a reissue split CD of the full-length Sinister album Hate, the band's following EP, Bastard Saints. This edition was limited to one thousand numbered copies, and included four bonus live tracks with the release. But, that's not all, as this reissue split has more then just a couple bonus tracks to make it well worth the money.
While Hate itself was a fantastic album that hit a few snags at the end, the Bastard Saints EP was far from that great a release. The advancements in technology were starting to show with these releases, whether it was just the more high tech studios, or more money into the recordings that were at fault, the game plan for Sinister had changed arond the time of this release. Instead of a heavily brutalizing sound, the material on these releases seemed to try to be more haunting and hopeless then anything, really focusing in on a stronger technical approach then groovey compositions. Bastard Saints, however, was too open with the music, sounding hollow and bland, as well as rather generic. These two releases feel almost like night and day in many ways, but having them bundled together is a bit obvious since they were released within a year of each other, as well as both fit completely on one disc.
However, the 2009 pressing of these two found a few changes. The music feels much stronger since they had been remastered through a 24-bit digital process, which both helps and hurts this release. Hate greatly benefits from it, as the music sounds stronger from the enhancements. The bass feels stronger and a little louder in the mix, which really helps the bass kicks feel deeper and give out a more intimidating feeling. Tracks like "Awaiting the Absu", "Embodiment of Chaos", and "18th Century Hellfire" all greatly become stronger through the much heavier sound that appears here, though the guitars do still feel a little weak from being a little higher pitched then on the band's previous recordings.
However, the less bass-driven and atmosphere-lacking Bastard Saints is hurt by this as it strips away any of the beneficial white noise that fills in where the obnoxiously higher pitched guitars left hollow. The bass feels minor and, while there, doesn't do much to help out the music, the vocals don't have that snarling bite to them either, though still solid for the time they were recorded, and the drums just feel weak. The moment "Bastard Saints" kicks in, you can really hear a huge difference in quality between the two, and if you compare this version to the original Bastard Saints, it's clear that the more raw quality of that pressing, compared to the remastered version that weeds out some of the production noise and flaws, really just makes it sound like a typical Death Metal release.
This EP also comes with four live tracks that show the band at their best. The songs seem to flow from one another, as if part of a larger set. There's no random fades or poor transitions used on these tracks either, which really gives off the vibe of a genuine concert experience instead of just the best cuts from the band's better shows. On top of that, the album receives some updated artwork, which is just the two covers imposed on one another, only really showing half of each cover. While not the most impressive idea for artwork, it suits the split conccept well, and in essence becomes quite possibly the most obvious choice for artwork on this release. This split also comes in a digipack format that, as mentioned, is numbered to one thousand pressings only.
| 2011 Reissue: |
Hate & Bastard Saints is the fourth CD in the Altered Since Birth box set. While this box set is from the same people who did the original 2009 split, this edition varies greatly from the initial pressing, mostly in the fact that it's missing all four live tracks that were available two years ago! Like many of the other bonus tracks in this box set, some of them appear to be missing live songs from their 2009 reissue partners. However, these live tracks are meerly dispersed on the CD differently to make sure they are not reprinted versions of the limited one thousand pressing, or at least one would assume. The four live bonus tracks on the initial pressing are actually available on the Afterburner 2011 reissue, and this version of Hate & Bastard Saints gets "To Mega Therion (Live)" as a bonus track, and is new to the Sinister reissue line-up the label has put out up prior to this box set.
Of course, the song is the same kind of raw live performance as the others, showcasing the band's true talent without taking the sound directly from the sound board or editing it in the studio. It's an enjoyable live version of the song that feels a little stronger then the original due to the raw qualities of the recording. Of course, this version has the 24-bit remastering process done to it, and comes in a digipack that, again, has no booklet, but that information is in the giant book that accompanies the box set. However, the artwork on this one is also different. Instead of the imposed two covers on one, the label went with the original Hate cover for the front of the digipack. |
In the long run, if you can't get your hands on the initial pressings, Hate & Bastard Saints is the next best thing. This split release collects these two recordings and enhances them nicely, though it does hurt Bastard Saints a little more as it makes those songs a little clearer then the initial pressing, which was the downfall of that initial EP's release. This edition is well worth checking out for that, and the four live bonus tracks that accompany the release. Of course, the 2011 reissue is essentially the same thing, just different artwork, and the bonus tracks are replaced with one song, though the original four appear elsewhere in the box set. If you're eyeballing the Altered Since Birth box set that has the 2011 Reissue, it's worth it. If not, and you just want the original split edition, then the original is a safer bet thanks to those four bonus tracks.
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