Sinister

Formed in Schiedam, the Netherlands, in 1988, Sinister belongs to the first wave of Dutch death metal with a brutal, compact and dark sound, marked by fast riffs, changing tempos and a guttural vocal style. After the demos Perpetual Damnation in 1990 and Sacramental Carnage in 1991, the band released Cross the Styx in 1992, then Diabolical Summoning in 1993 and Hate in 1995, three albums that laid the foundations of its writing, between frontal violence and more technical construction. The history of Sinister is also that of many lineup changes, around the founding drummer Aad Kloosterwaard, who remained the main through-line of the project and became the singer at the 2005 reform. In the 1990s, Sinister shared the stage with several major acts of the European and American extreme scenes, before continuing with Aggressive Measures in 1998, Creative Killings in 2001 and Savage or Grace in 2003. After an initial breakup in 2004, Sinister resumed activity and notably published Afterburner in 2006, The Silent Howling in 2008, Legacy of Ashes in 2010, The Carnage Ending in 2012, Syncretism in 2017 and Deformation of the Holy Realm in 2020. Despite lineup changes, Sinister remains attached to direct and aggressive death metal, rooted in an old-school tradition but regularly tightened by a more modern production.