Sinister Realm

Sinister Realm

Filling the absence of truth | Shadow Kingdom

Don’t be fooled by marketing hype trumpeting new waves of old kinds of metal. Yes, it’s cool that kids are discovering the classics. No, the classics never went away. The underground has always upheld metal’s fundamentals. No matter how much labels try to make a quick buck from trends, diehards will stay true to their roots. They’re the ones buying CDs and vinyl, valuing the collector aspect and not giving a shit about fashion. They’re also making music along these lines.

Shadow Kingdom has become a bastion of such music. With bands like Iron Man, Ironsword and Argus, the Pittsburgh label forges metal that is truly “true.” Its artists aren’t young and marketable. They tend to be older and don’t tour much. I don’t know what most of them look like. But I do know that their records have staying power.

Shadow Kingdom’s latest discovery is Sinister Realm, whose debut is a potential future classic. The band kneels at the throne of Candlemass, Dio-era Sabbath and Mercyful Fate—the good stuff. They’re like a less doomy Gates of Slumber, or a more doomy Slough Feg. The riffs are meaty and melodic, and the guitars engage in wicked trade-off duels. Vocalist Alex Kristof is the centerpiece, with a clear, commanding presence. The recording is nicely natural; one feels the electricity in the guitars. Music this honest is a joy to hear. The fact that it’ll never be sold at Hot Topic is both a triumph and a tragedy.

—Cosmo Lee

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