Album Review: Sinsaenum - Repulsion For Humanity

Ex-Slipknot sticksman Joey Jordison has never hidden his extreme metal pedigree, despite past membership in one of heavy music's most commercially successful acts.

He's moonlighted as a touring drummer at the more brutal end of the spectrum, but many 'Knot fans have yearned to hear him truly unleash that aspect of his musical vocabulary.

Sinsaenum is that vehicle, and said devotees again get their wish within the opening salvo of their second LP; the title track a hail of blast-beats, caustic vocals and blistering guitars. Aside from the mastermind, Dragonforce's Frederic Leclercq, Mayhem vocalist Attila Csihar (in a reduced role due to "scheduling conflicts") and Sean Zatorsky (Daath, also vocals) help flesh out the line-up.

The vocals are on occasion slightly less guttural than many blackened death metal acts, perhaps ensuring a sliver of greater accessibility for metallers dipping their toes into heavier waters here. There are melancholic, atmospheric touches ala nine-minute closer Forsaken, and a tangible melodic sensibility and groove throughout. It's a bile-spitting attack overall though that — while not always yielding memorable tunes, and perhaps a tad nondescript at times — doesn't lack conviction. Manifestation Of Ignorance is a standout; dark and ominous, its ambience effectively meshing with ferocity. Meanwhile, Final Resolve's catchy riffage is straight out of the Floridian death metal playbook.

The run time's a little bloated too, but here's an all-star affair that may just be worth backing.