Sinsaenum
In Devastation
earMUSIC
It’s undeniably true that strength comes from adversity, and with the tragic death of drummer Joey Jordison, blackened death metal supergroup Sinsaenum found that out the hard way. Channelling their sense of grief and loss into ten tempestuous tracks, the band have produced an album that’s not only a fitting tribute to their fallen comrade, but a record that finds them rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes. Whatever tribulations life might throw at us, moving forwards is really our only option, and that’s the direction In Devastation finds Sinsaenum travelling. It’s a bold effort which introduces progressive sections, clean vocals, even some cello, and all without sacrificing their brutal sound. In fact, the sentiments brought to this recording add another, previously unheard, level of heaviness. ‘The Last Goodbye’ feels like an act of therapy, a kind of primal scream, with the band providing a window into their private grief. This is an album forged in the red hot flames of raw emotion and subsequently feels more like paean than mourning. Songs such as ‘Spiritual Lies’ and ‘Destroyer’ almost breathe with their ululation and means that through In Devastation, Sinsaenum have gained a degree of immortality.
Review by Peter Dennis.