Sinister is perhaps one of the most underrated death metal acts ever to emerge on the 90’s metal scene. In 1988 they begun their quest for metal annihilation, recording several demos and EPs which slowly paved the way for future success. Today, after releasing eight LPs and one DVD, Sinister can proudly stand next to such giants as Deicide, Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Death – their music is the sheer definition of death metal destruction.

Metal Mind Productions is proud to announce the re-release of 4 titles taken from the discography of Sinister: “Cross The Styx”, “Diabolical Summoning”, “Hate” and “Bastard Saints”.

“Cross The Styx” (1992)
“Cross the Styx” was a debut that any death metal band could dream of. Consisting of 10 crushing songs (plus an intro and outro with guest performance by producer Alex Krull, who also laid some backing vocals on the title track), the album combined all the finest ingredients to form a brutal masterpiece. The music was clearly inspired by Possessed (especially the choppy and thrash-like riffs) but it also featured a lot of other influences, ranging from old-school death metal to grindcore (that’s why contemporary reviewers often called the album a mixture of Suffocation and Vomitory). The true highlight of the LP, however, was Mike van Mastrigt and his extremely deep and brutal growling, which, combined with diabolical lyrics about the occult, turned tracks such as “Putrefying Remains”, “Spiritual Immolation” and “Compulsory Resignation” into instant classics.
The new edition includes 3 bonus tracks recorded live at Stodoła Club, Warsaw, August 24th, 2006.

“Diabolical Summoning” (1993)
A year after their successful debut was released, Sinister returned with a brilliant follow-up entitled “Diabolical Summoning”. With a new top name producer on board – Colin Richardson – the band took the aggression and brutality from the first LP to an even higher level. Songs like “Magnified Wrath”, “Sense of Demise” and the Marduk-influenced “Desecrated Flesh” proved Sinister’s craft in creating vicious and bloodthirsty music. Again, the highlights of the album included van Mastrigt’s vocals, which for many fans became a true definition of death metal. Technically, “Diabolical Summoning” was more complex than the debut offering (with most songs lasting around 4 minutes or more), but the brutal, straightforward approach was still the key element of Sinister’s style.
The new edition includes 2 bonus tracks recorded live at Stodoła Club, Warsaw, August 24th, 2006.

“Hate” (1995)
It took the group two years to release their third opus – “Hate”. The album starts off with the sound of cracking floors, followed by ritual chants, with vocalist Mike van Mastrigt screaming out mysterious verses in Sumerian. This is merely an intro to “Awaiting the Absu” – a 7-minute death metal juggernaut which opens a new chapter of annihilation in Sinister’s book, proving that “Hate” is yet another gateway to pure sonic Armageddon. The tracks are a bit slower than on “Diabolical Summoning”, but the brutality hasn’t decreased a bit. Forget catchy melodies – this album is all about sheer destruction and songs like “18th Century Hellfire”, “To Mega Therion” and the sluggish “Bloodfest” (with references to Charles Manson in the lyrics) are proof enough. The lyrical content of the LP focused even more on various aspects of the occult, which made up for a truly unique atmosphere, praised by both fans and reviewers. Even now most critics say that “Hate” is Sinister’s most valuable work to date, perfectly combining all the crucial elements of a classic death metal LP and being able to compete with the best contenders on the scene.

“Bastard Saints” (1996)
1996 brought the EP “Bastard Saints” – this was the last release with Mike van Mastrigt on vocals, who left the band due to personal reasons some time after the recordings. “Bastard Saints” consisted of only 4 tracks preceded by an intro (giving overall less than 20 minutes of music), but the amount of brutality packed in these songs was truly impressive. The EP starts off with the surprisingly melodic title track and then continues to “Rebels Dome” – a death metal steamroller. The last two tracks – “Cross the Styx” and “Epoch of Denial” – originally appeared on the band’s debut LP; here we can listen to the re-recorded, improved versions (produced by Wolfgang Stach). “Bastard Saints” showcases a group well aware of their abilities and features one of the best performances by van Mastrigt in his entire career.

The albums “Hate” and “Bastard Saints EP” will be released on one CD which includes 4 bonus tracks recorded live at Stodoła Club, Warsaw, August 24th, 2006.

Sinister’s re-issues will be available in a new digipak edition, digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on a golden disc. Each title is limited to 1000 copies. The release date is set up for 6th July in Europe and 11th August in USA (via MVD).

Sinister
“Cross The Styx” (remastered + bonus tracks)Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD 1284 DG
Barcode: 5907785034969
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 1000 numbered copies)
Genre: death metal
Release date: 06.07.2009 Europe / 11.08.2009 USA

Tracklist:

1. Carnificina Scelesta
2. Perennial Mourning
3. Sacramental Carnage
4. Doomed
5. Spiritual Immolation
6. Cross The Styx
7. Compulsory Resignation
8. Corridors To The Abyss
9. Putrefying Remains
10. Epoch Of Denial
11. Perpetual Damnation
12. Outro

Bonus Tracks:
13. Barbaric Order (live)
14. (Enslaved The Weak Intro) (live)
15. Enslaved The Week (live)

Sinister
“Diabolical Summoning” (remastered + bonus tracks)

Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD 1285 DG
Barcode: 5907785034976
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 1000 numbered copies)
Genre: death metal
Release date: 06.07.2009 Europe / 11.08.2009 USA

Tracklist:

1. Sadistic Intent
2. Magnified Wrath
3. Diabolical Summoning
4. Sense Of Demise
5. Leviathan
6. Desecrated Flesh
7. Tribes Of The Moon
8. Mystical Illusions

Bonus Tracks:
9. Into The Forgotten (live)
10. Bleeding Towards The Wendigo (live)

Sinister
“Hate / Bastard Saints” (remastered + bonus tracks)

Label: Metal Mind Records
Cat. No.: MASS CD 1286 DG
Barcode: 5907785034983
Format: CD Digipak (limited edition of 1000 numbered copies)
Genre: death metal
Release date: 06.07.2009 Europe / 11.08.2009 USA

Tracklist:

1. Intro
2. Awaiting the Absu
3. Embodiment of Chaos
4. Art of the Damned
5. Unseen Darkness
6. 18th Century Hellfire
7. To Mega Therion
8. The Cursed Mayhem
9. The Bloodfeast
10. Reborn from Hatred
11. Bastard Saints
12. Rebels Dome
13. Cross the Styx
14. Epoch of Denial

Bonus tracks:
15. Men down (live)
16. Afterburner (live)
17. Altruistic Suicide (live)
18. The grey massacre (live)