The Sin War

Off the top of my head, I can think of at least three “metallized” versions of Verdi's famous Requiem which open various adventures into stilton-scented power metal land, resplendent with frantic “Dies Irae!” choral chanting. Despite being connected by name, Poland's Dies Irae should not raise expectations for any such pretensions, as the four-piece are about as no-nonsense as death metal bands come.

A comparison with Vader is of course the elephant in the room when discussing a band which features three former members of the Polish titans, but Dies Irae manage to sidestep this foible quite well. There are undoubtedly similarities to be expunged from the two bands' sounds, but Dies Irae come off as a much more visceral and throaty assault than their country's biggest export, much further towards the death metal end of the spectrum than Vader's whirring death/thrash template.

This contrast is aided by the absolutely filthy guitar tone used throughout this opus. These guitars sound fucking angry, and they will confidently cut through an unsuspecting listener's flesh like a blunt, rusty chainsaw.

Further distinction is drawn from the impressive chops of Sceptic's Jacek Hiro, who crafts some mesmerizing melodic leads to paint atop the thundering rhythm section, particularly effectively in “Incarnation of Death” and “Infinity”. The latter of these tracks also features impressively intricate bass work from frontman Novy, which dances back and forth behind the stop-start guitar rhythms.

There is additionally a refreshing amount of variety to be found within the playtime of this disc, perhaps a surprising amount given no-frills idiom of the band. The grimy, blackened death marching which comprises the closing track “Nine Angels” is wonderfully haunting and scathing at the same time, while the groove riff which opens shortly after the beginning to “Another Being Wasted” would put Gojira et al to shame.

There are some tracks which naturally tiptoe into the foothills of Vader-land, such as the relentless “Horde of Angry Daemons” or the ripping assault of the opener “Comrade of Death”. For these more fast paced numbers, Hiro throws any sense of melody out of the window, and unleashes volleys of roaring whammy abuse at the reeling listener when given his chance. Kerry King should take notes.

Production is crisp, natural and quintessentially Polish throughout; perhaps a little polished for my liking, but certainly not overproduced by any stretch. The late Doc's drums sound tremendous, though much more trebbly than the bass pedal pummeling of his career highlight Litany.

Through all of this, I think Dies Irae succeed in walking a precarious line. The Sin War is eclectic enough to excite, but remains sufficiently conservative as not to alienate. That being said, I feel this album works as more of a collection of good tracks rather than a full listen. I will typically tend to dip in and out, rather than sit and absorb. Don't get me wrong, there is merit in every track on this disc, and none of it really screams filler to me, but I find difficulty in remaining enthralled when stringing these songs together, and I can't quite put my finger on why. If you seek quality, middling death metal with soaring lead guitar and robust Polish workmanship, then this album is a sound investment.

The Sin War is a great album, as are the others from Poland’s Dies Irae. Vocals are different and sound great. The slow growl he has going is very cool and he likes to drag out the words a bit. I think the vocals match the music very well. The music is the best part of this band of course and is why we death metal fans listen in the first place…..right. The music contains very cool groovy riffs matched with guitarist Hiro’s amazing high pitched, short guitar solos in the vane of Decapitated. Once being in the Decapitated line up you can’t help but wonder where they got there style. Good transition from slow riffs to fast and can be technical and melodic at the same time. Very good drums that match guitars well. Album length is good at about 40min and the overall quality is very good. Any death metal fan should check this album out especially if you like Decapitated. I didn’t want to talk about certain riffs or solos I like because that’s just useless information to people who want an overview of the band.