So I’m sitting here listening to Sinister Realm’s third full-length World of Evil, and it got me to thinking about the traditional metal label versus the retro/old school metal labels. The word “traditional” has a pretty hefty heir about it, implying something long-standing passed down from generation to generation. On the other hand, “retro” implies something perhaps passé from a time past made hip again by time passed; “old school” is sort of a combination of the two, implying the way things were done and should continue to be done despite marked change – but a bit crusty and/or crotchety. At least, that’s my take on it.
How does this all apply to Sinister Realm? They’re a traditional heavy metal band. They’re not a retro metal band trying to recreate the sound of the 70s and early 80s; they’re not an old school metal band “stuck” in that same era. No, they’re just playing heavy metal the way heavy metal has always been played while, as they say in economics, accounting for inflation. Best of all, they do it well, with a full understanding of the genre’s tenets and without completely aping their predecessors.
The band hits the ground running with “Dark Angel of Fate,” a track which musically may lead you to believe that this is going to be a power metal album. However that is quickly extinguished as the next few tracks adhere much more closely to the traditional vibe. Hey, for every “Metal Gods” there was a “Rapid Fire”, right? So it ends up being split about evenly with the 1-2 punch of “Prophets of War” and “Cyber Villain” coming into play after the lengthy title track and “Ghosts of Nevermore”. Album closer “Four Black Witches” almost predictably brings everything together in a bit of a minor epic and leaves a happy little buzz in your ear.
Look, Sinister Realm aren’t exactly reinventing the wheel or even using the existing one to perform any fancy tricks. What they are doing is skillfully working within the existing parameters to create solid, quality heavy metal. There’s a lot to be said for doing that, too.
