Review: “Arise Legion” by Sinisfear

A decade after their 2014 debut album “Reigning Death” reared its ugly head, Canadians Sinisfear have dusted off their instruments and returned with a sophomore record. Titled “Arise Legions” it finds bassist Jamie “Marge” Margenson, Anthropophagy drummer Marc Hamilton, Necropolis EDC guitarist John Gerow and vocalist Ed Hogg reunited with no need to bring in any fresh blood. Hailing from the northern cold of Toronto Ontario, their original sound was inspired by the Slayer classic “Reign In Blood” as well as 90’s North American Death Metal, however that debut record did feature a cover of “The Trooper” by Iron Maiden…

An intro that sounds like a tribute to “Chaos A.D.” era Sepultura sets the tone for the self titled opening cut “Sinisfear“, a track that establishes the band as a force to be reckoned with once more. Old School 90’s Death Metal riffs from Gerow alongside throat splitting vocals from Hogg pack a serious punch while the rhythm section keep things incredibly tight, the blood curdling roars of “I am who I am” sounding almost demonic. Bringing the adrenaline rush of Death Grind inspiration “Father” puts the pedal to the metal with restless and relentless blasting and breakneck speed riffage, the quartet doing their damnedest to put cracks in the concrete of the studio where the cut was recorded. The sonic abrasions keep coming with furious ferocity, Hogg sounding like a man possessed as “Harvester” bulldozes its way through the ear drums. Menacing and sinister with a funky bassline that pops out of the mix from Margenson, it’s as much fun as you can have without p***ing your pants. A downtempo bridge is masterfully executed as if by a Frenchman operating a guillotine before a rampaging final few seconds cracks a smile; its the thing that should not be and yet it works so well. A hilarious low budget horror movie style introduction ushers in the brutal “Lunatic“, which finds the band playing with tempo to get a little more punch in their sound. It ain’t slow, slow, fast but fast, breakneck, fast as the four piece work the scales, the razor sharp riffs along nasty lyrical narrative exactly what the edge of the seat was made for.

The blood lust continues into “Higher Self“, a vicious little ditty adorned with an evil grin that tears at the cranium like a feral beast as the band go out like a cowboy at the OK corral – with all guns blazing. Hamilton gets in a full work out behind the kit and there is no doubt that after this one was committed to tape hands were calloused and fingers were bloody. You don’t play this fast without stretching you fingers first to avoid cramp and ingesting an unusually high volume of caffeine. As if to prove they can do more than just unleash their inner beasts in fits of pure unadulterated rage, “The Pain Of Being Dead” flips the script entirely. An orchestrated piano piece with the kind of guitar accompaniment that made Brian May famous is the last thing you might expect but it is majestic none the less. Fortunately that is however short lived and it’s back to the bands usual hellish offerings with “The Forgotten“. A powerhouse from start to finish with tempo changes perfectly executed, it punishes like those 90’s Earache Records bands did, only missing a flamboyant face melting solo to give it that little bit something more. A solid album from an outfit who have been away far too long, hopefully this is just the start of a new chapter [7.5/10]

Track Listing

1. Sinisfear
2. Father
3. Harvester
4. Lunatic
5. Higher Self
6. The Pain Of Being Dead
7. The Forgotten

“Arise Legion” by Sinisfear was released on 24th July 2024 and is available over at bandcamp