Metal Mind Productions reports:

SINISTER is perhaps one of the most underrated death metal acts ever to emerge on the 90’s metal scene. In 1988 they begun their quest for metal annihilation, recording several demos and EPs which slowly paved the way for future success. Today, after releasing eight LPs and one DVD, Sinister can proudly stand next to such giants as DEICIDE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL and DEATH - their music is the sheer definition of death metal destruction.

Metal Mind Productions is proud to announce the re-release of 4 titles taken from the discography of Sinister: Cross The Styx, Diabolical Summoning, Hate and Bastard Saints.

Cross The Styx (1992) - Cross the Styx was a debut that any death metal band could dream of. Consisting of 10 crushing songs (plus an intro and outro with guest performance by producer Alex Krull, who also laid some backing vocals on the title track), the album combined all the finest ingredients to form a brutal masterpiece. The music was clearly inspired by POSSESSED (especially the choppy and thrash-like riffs) but it also featured a lot of other influences, ranging from old-school death metal to grindcore (that’s why contemporary reviewers often called the album a mixture of SUFFOCATION and VOMITORY). The true highlight of the LP, however, was Mike van Mastrigt and his extremely deep and brutal growling, which, combined with diabolical lyrics about the occult, turned tracks such as 'Putrefying Remains', 'Spiritual Immolation' and 'Compulsory Resignation' into instant classics. The new edition includes 3 bonus tracks recorded live at Stodo?a Club, Warsaw, August 24th, 2006.

Diabolical Summoning (1993) - A year after their successful debut was released, Sinister returned with a brilliant follow-up entitled Diabolical Summoning. With a new top name producer on board - Colin Richardson - the band took the aggression and brutality from the first LP to an even higher level. Songs like 'Magnified Wrath', 'Sense of Demise' and the MARDUK-influenced 'Desecrated Flesh' proved Sinister’s craft in creating vicious and bloodthirsty music. Again, the highlights of the album included van Mastrigt’s vocals, which for many fans became a true definition of death metal. Technically, Diabolical Summoning was more complex than the debut offering (with most songs lasting around 4 minutes or more), but the brutal, straightforward approach was still the key element of Sinister’s style. The new edition includes 2 bonus tracks recorded live at Stodo?a Club, Warsaw, August 24th, 2006.

Hate (1995) - It took the group two years to release their third opus - Hate. The album starts off with the sound of cracking floors, followed by ritual chants, with vocalist Mike van Mastrigt screaming out mysterious verses in Sumerian. This is merely an intro to 'Awaiting the Absu' - a 7-minute death metal juggernaut which opens a new chapter of annihilation in Sinister’s book, proving that Hate is yet another gateway to pure sonic Armageddon. The tracks are a bit slower than on Diabolical Summoning, but the brutality hasn’t decreased a bit. Forget catchy melodies - this album is all about sheer destruction and songs like '18th Century Hellfire', 'To Mega Therion' and the sluggish 'Bloodfest' (with references to Charles Manson in the lyrics) are proof enough. The lyrical content of the LP focused even more on various aspects of the occult, which made up for a truly unique atmosphere, praised by both fans and reviewers. Even now most critics say that “Hate” is Sinister’s most valuable work to date, perfectly combining all the crucial elements of a classic death metal LP and being able to compete with the best contenders on the scene.

Bastard Saints (1996) - 1996 brought the EP Bastard Saints - this was the last release with Mike van Mastrigt on vocals, who left the band due to personal reasons some time after the recordings. Bastard Saints consisted of only 4 tracks preceded by an intro (giving overall less than 20 minutes of music), but the amount of brutality packed in these songs was truly impressive. The EP starts off with the surprisingly melodic title track and then continues to 'Rebels Dome' - a death metal steamroller. The last two tracks - 'Cross the Styx' and 'Epoch of Denial' - originally appeared on the band’s debut LP; here we can listen to the re-recorded, improved versions (produced by Wolfgang Stach). Bastard Saints showcases a group well aware of their abilities and features one of the best performances by van Mastrigt in his entire career.

The albums Hate and Bastard Saints EP will be released on one CD which includes 4 bonus tracks recorded live at Stodo?a Club, Warsaw, August 24th, 2006.

Sinister’s re-issues will be available in a new digipak edition, digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on a golden disc. Each title is limited to 1000 copies. The release date is set up for July 6th in Europe and August 11th in North America (via MVD).

Check out the tracklistings at this location.