March of the Doomed reaffirms the Sinister Prophecy, paving the way through with an array of dark synthesizers, rhythmic guitar lines and inhumane commandments. Seemly, it has conjured the image of a march towards a certain death although this vision reminds of flavours that one will most often associate with polish Death Metal infernos, Vader. On the contrary, Vistery plays a brand of morbid, straight-forward Death Metal in the veins of Obituary, Six Feet Under and Cannibal Corpse. Well, enough of beating around the bush, let’s get this feast started!
In the decaying crypts of Sinister Prophecy, listeners are greeted with a vile and twisted form of groovy guitars riffs, uncomplicated and straight-forward bones-beats and also not forgetting, an arsenal of deep, brutal growls reiterating the lyrics to the tunes of killing horror. All are sure to satisfy your abrasive listening ears. So rejoice ye puny, little, low lives. Sinister Prophecy revels in the visceral and grotesque aesthetics of Old School Death Metal with its gory content, offering standards which are comparable to the old Death gods. But one thing Vistery has steers clear of to avoid being lumped in as OSDM revivalists is the fact that the production job is done quite the opposite way. For one, Sinister Prophecy is embellished with a modern, clean and polished sounding production. This mixing approach has allowed the clarities and accuracies of the weapons that are being utilised in Sinister Prophecy to be differentiated and recognised more easily. Sinister Prophecy is like a snake shedding its own skin in order to bring about a new life of its own. As such, their decent efforts here should be highly commendable.
However, despite the all-devouring, brutal aspects of Sinister Prophecy, it is not without its downsides. For one, the songwriting that encompasses Sinister Prophecy is rather direct or a lack of a better word, structured. As such, Sinister Prophecy may come off as one of unoriginal and a lack of variety in musical materials. Thus, majority of the songs are predictable in a sense that it sounds too constrained, and there is not enough of “venturing outside” to be seen or heard. I feel that although Sinister Prophecy manages to fulfil the basic elements of what constitutes Death Metal, some listeners might view it as a mere reinterpretation of the OSDM template. There is certainly a presence of a greater potential to reach and achieve here and also, lots of rooms for improvements. On the bright side, Sinister Prophecy is perfect for a quick dose of headbanging experience. So fret not death metallers, if you are looking for a playlist to keep you engaged in the large sea of mediocrity just so you can get your daily fix, look no further than Vistery’s Sinister Prophecy!
7/10
About the Author
This is what I feel about my favourite genre in metal:
Black Metal is a timeless piece of magic(k)al art that is not limited by boundaries. Be it musical or aesthetics wise, it contains an honest and raw essence that is capable of not only satisfying the most abrasive of listening ears, but also an elevation to a higher state of transcendence. For years, the sphere of what we considered Black Metal has since expanded. It is mainly because of the myriads of influences that have been brought into the genre itself. Moreover, the influx of experimentations has rendered traditional Black Metal characteristics invalid. This is another trait that attracted me, for one, artists could then create their own art which allow the categorisation of Black Metal to be a certain state of emotional and feelings, rather than that of musical qualities. However, it is still mostly a personal experience to undergo. For the most part, it is different for everyone and I definitely respect that. Listening to Black Metal for me is like opening the floodgates to an ever-flowing source of energies where they are being channelled and manifested in the form of music which we are able to comprehend. Through passion and dedication, one will be able to realise the true potential of the magick that is in work. With that set into stone, the occurrence of change as we know it will be bestowed upon the listeners themselves where they will bask in all the glory and rewards. It is like an endless quest on the path towards spirituality.
Axis of Metal is me showing my appreciation to the music that has been keeping me alive. I also have a personal blog -Thelightoftheinvictus.tumblr.com which I write reviews for during my free time. I am always open to views, discussions and criticism. So, shoot me an email if you would like to talk :)
