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While few among death metal's minions would endorse Sinister's archetypal grind as brimming with originality, there are still some unique flourishes to the band's sonic onslaught that make them a worthwhile listen. Underscored by Han Pieter's clean, precision production, this Rotterdam quartet continually shifts their sinewy riffage from slow and coarse to swift and brutal.

Along with a healthy supply of highly-combustible rip-chording and spontaneous, scattershot tempos, the abrupt turnarounds tend to wear away at any melodic footholds or sense of balance. Never really knowing which way the music is heading, this perpetual element of surprise is at the heart of Sinister's sensational slams. For example, the Brazilian-flavored introduction of "Bleeding Towards The Wendigo" bears lightly-trilled acoustic guitars and flowering keyboards until the band begin rumbling beneath the surface, climaxing in a hellish thunderclap. Likewise, the lazy, lumbering riffs of "Judicious Murder" rip unexpectedly into a vortex of sound, circling for a swift-kill of distorted guitar noise and triple-time kick drums.

New vocalist Rachel (ex-Occult) proves she can spew with the big boys, with a low, venomous grunt that's bewitching in its gender-bend. Death-heads make deduct a few points since "Creative Killings" is lacking innovation. However, they may need to calculate extra credit for the whoop-ass Sinister put on their disc-closing cover of Possessed's "Storm In My Mind," complete with muscle-rippling guitar solos and valiant power metal assault. Like that final track, if this band simply eases their way into their complex tunes instead of overwhelming the listener with elaborate tangents, the result would be exceptionally punishing. They are just waiting to be awesome.