review: Sinisthra

Sinisthra

The Broad and Beaten Way

Rockshots Records

15 May 2020

Amorphis fans will immediately recognize the singing on Sinisthra. The music is midtempo-slow with that unmistakable crooning style of singing, with resulting sad, depressive vibes. How does this music achieve the result of sad perceptions? First, the singing has a tone that is not very cheerful. It’s a low, sentimental type of crooning voice, as if Tomi Joutsen’s voice were in the general frequency or channel as Morrissey, the famous malcontent crooner. The tone or emotion of the voice is generally similar to Morrissey, or voices similar in style, which is to say a melancholic, lamenting, sad, somewhat wailing-frail voice.

Another reason why the band sounds this way is the melodies. While the rhythm guitar often does slow burn, midtempo simple riffs that hang in the air, the band has placed all its eggs in the basket of melodies of the guitar and keyboards. The slow and bluesy melodies are meant to sound weepy, which when joined to the singing, is music for people who like emotional, mellow, sad bands.

SINISTHRA - Eterne (Official Music Video)

Die-hard supporters of Amorphis’ voice should find no reason to dislike this album, and probably many reasons to like it. For those that have not heard this voice before, it’s like the vocalist is singing while going through bouts of depression. This is slow-cooking stuff, not riff-driven songs. Basically, do not approach this music if you want to bang your head and rock out. As already stated, this has more in common with Morrissey than with rocking metal music. On the other hand, if you want something big on melancholy, then this should be perfect. Have your medication handy, friend. I think this band is trying to lift you out of depression by taking you deeper into depression, seeing if you hit rock bottom and then bounce back and find a little of joy in the gloom. facebook.com/Sinisthra/