Paul Hutchings checks out the new album from two man thrash monsters ‘Siniestro’

If a blend of thrash, punk, black and death metal is your thing, then the powerful duo of Siniestro may well be worth a listen. Having formed in 2012, the two-piece consisting of Commander (vocals, bass, guitar and organ) and drummer The Machine quickly delivered their debut EP Oppression of the Sunlight two years later. One full length debut Revelations in Mayhem arrived in 2016 but its taken five long years for the second full length to arrive. 

There is no subtlety in the opening double salvo blasted right across the bows. ‘One Last Bullet One Last Ride’ and ‘Vortex’ are both savage, face-melting pieces that don’t let up until the last note has been squeezed. It’s brutal, ferocious and expressive stuff. The eight-minute plus ‘Blod Eld Dd’ reverts to their native Swedish tongue and presents as more of a folk song than a dirty, maggot infested wound of a track. The beats are heavy, but the singing is much more traditional than maybe one would expect. 

In case you thought the gnarly thrash had been forgotten ‘Black Acid’ comes thundering over the hill. There’s more than a touch of the likes of Amon Amarth in this song, which thunders along like Odin crashing through the skies. And then there is the curveball. The two-minute flamenco fused acoustic guitar which transports the listener to a different plane altogether with some gorgeous guitar work. Sadly, it makes way to a thick, vicious riff which demands attention in the shape of the pulsating death metal bruiser ‘Escape by Death’. 

It’s all a bit Sepultura in places, but the overall vibe draws deep from a wide and rich source of influences. The short blast of folk metal in the shape of ‘En Svartaste Flamman Och Renaste Hat’ is soon forgotten as the bludgeoning mix of technicality and more traditional death metal ‘Buried in the Bog’ rolls in. All of this is preparation for the longest track on the album and the superbly named ‘Anti Human Commando’, a muscular and energetic workout over a thumping ten minutes. 

This all leads to the conclusion of the album, the epic maudlin organ recital of ‘My Inner Sun’, which is about as curved a ball as you can get. It’s a calming, positive vibe on which to end an album that on occasion rips, elsewhere purrs and occasionally roars.  The combination of more delicate passages juxtaposed with the more traditional paint blasting style does make it an interesting and enjoyable listen. I certainly didn’t mind having it on repeat whilst reviewing it. 

Siniestro – Vortexx is out via Black Lodge on the 14th May 2021