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SINISTER REALM
World Of Evil

Shadow Kingdom (2013)
Rating: 5/10

Album number three from Pennsylvanian metallers Sinister Realm, World Of Evil is – as one would expect – a rather middle of the road heavy metal experience that relies on the imagery of dark fantasy and Dio-inspired myth and magic to get its message across.

Sadly, it’s not the greatest slab of metal you’ll hear this year. This is mainly due to the fact that there’s something rather lightweight about the whole feel of the opus, despite its driving, straight down the throat, hell-bent for leather attitude. I’ve never been a fan of Alex Kristof’s vocals to be honest; seemingly lacking weight and depth, they remind me of when Blaze Bayley stepped into the Iron Maiden void to replace Bruce Dickinson.

World Of Evil isn’t a bad record – the songs are tight and the production is crisp – but there’s only so many times you can hear that once distinctive Iron Maiden drum gallop or those placid vocals, which all too often attempt dungeons ’n’ dragons invocations.

For the most part, World Of Evil is a solid effort. The drums of Chris Metzger are a sturdy backbone to the composition, and they complement the solid bass which – just like Maiden’s Steve Harris – likes to make itself known throughout.

There’s nothing wrong with those classic sounding guitars, and Sinister Realm have all the ingredients to make this a very magical pie. However, as with their previous records – the 2009 self-titled debut and 2011’s less effective The Crystal Eye – World Of Evil feels a tad flat after just a few songs in.

There’s nothing overtly wrong about the clunking ‘Bell Strikes Fear’, or the clattering ‘Dark Angel Of Fate’, and the epic title track is most certainly perfect music for a dark and stormy night as the band chases a myriad of influences, ranging from Dio, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest to a more metallic, less threatening style of doom metal, all mixed with hints of power metal. However, it’s just so dull at times that I find myself quickly switching off.

Sinister Realm are most certainly one of the more sincere of modern metal bands keeping the fires burning, but it just seems a little contrived to me. When hearing opener ‘Dark Angel Of Fate’ I’m merely counting up the clichés, from those sound but dull as dishwater riffs, the unadorned lyrical prowess, the Maiden-esque chorus, and the derivative structures. This sort of stuff is quite simply not the answer to metal’s future, however much we might pound our fists and stamp our feet.

The only track that really stands out is the seven-minute ‘The Ghosts Of Nevermore’, with its sinister opening riff and threaded bass. It’s only here that I begin to enjoy the more melodic strains of the vocals. But it all feels over-long though, despite some nice orchestrated touches of doom.

The lack of originality – let alone punch – means that World Of Evil falls way short of being a recommended record. The outfit clearly need something far punchier in the vocal department, while the guitars really do ache for some far darker, weightier injection.

It’s traditional heavy metal, but light years from the fabulous fantasy of Dio. World Of Evil is typically modern, in that it lacks a fire in its belly to reproduce the leathery magic of the 80s, and I see no place for this type of tiresome metal.

Neil Arnold

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