The Netherlands Houwitser returns with their sixth album Sentinel Beast. If you are not familiar with Houwitser it is a project of former Sinister vocalist Mike Van Mastrigt. I was excited to hear that these guys were still active. If you have not, check out Mike’s other side band Neocaesar if you are a fan of old Sinister.

“Burning Dogma” gets things kicked off and will proceed to start melting your face off. The drum work of Marco De Groot is in full force from the start of the album until the end of the album. Next up is the title track Sentinel Beast. This track has some of the catchiest riffs on the album. The guitar work of Michel Alderliefsten and Richard Gielen is fun to listen to. There is absolutely no shortage of riffs throughout the album.

“Warmonger” opens with a slow groove that proceeds to go up-tempo. The pace of the album is incredibly fast and even though the album is ten tracks it does not feel like there are that many songs because of how fierce each song is. “King of Madness” has a fantastic circle pit riff to begin the song. “Dismal Depravity” is one of the most frantic songs on the album. I love the production of this. It sounds like it could have come out in the late nineties. I do not mean that as a knock against Houwitser but more so an appreciation of their craft.

“Onwards to Battle” has a sick drum-fill intro that goes into a cool blast pattern and then into a cool pre-verse groove with pinch harmonics. “Echoes of Anguish” has one of the slower song starts on the album and has a bit of a death doom feel and then starts picking up tempo. Mike’s vocals have a bit of a different approach on this one versus his traditional death metal vox. The tempo of the tune does pick back up towards the end of the track.

“Dehumanised” finishes the album and is one of the more aggressive tracks on Sentinel Beast. There really is not much not to like here. If you are a fan of Sinister, and Neoceasar then you should have this album on your radar.

 

 

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