Review by Chris Pratl on April 7, 2022.

The call for old-school metal music seems to be at an all-time zenith of late. What I’m most intrigued by is the number of U.S. bands implementing this doom/traditional style to such high levels of competency. The homegrown soldiers are still armed to the teeth and fighting the good fight.

Pennsylvania’s Sinister Realm embodies the components necessary and essential for an album that is memorable and worthy of additional spins. After a stellar debut in 2009’s self-titled effort, the quartet is back and offering up some prime cuts of traditional heavy metal that doesn’t find comfort in the same old routines and styles all-too dated; The Crystal Eye designs a whole new blueprint for modern metal that harkens back to the NWOBHM era. While many bands are calling out this legendary style, too many are simply cut-and-paste bands doing nothing different than Angel Witch, Holland or Chinawite did 30-years ago, which is all well and good for the younger generation that missed this indelible period of our movement, but we oldsters require a little bite to our sandwich these days.

While I hasten to label Sinister Realm a NWOBHM throwback, the ingredients are certainly seasoned to taste all over these tracks, but the difference is that there is no dated feel to the music. There are no soaring vocals over intricate and Dave Murray-esque riffing; what you get on The Crystal Eye is a tremendously powering performance that simply bleeds honesty and attentiveness to detail. Vocalist Alex Kristof allows his voice of above-casual potency easily guide him as opposed to the myriad of singers that force a subpar performance far out of his or her particular range or talents. In that capacity Kristof is the perfect vocalist for such music. The tremendously memorable, yet basic music is what makes Sinister Realm a band of total reverence.

The Dio-era Sabbath tone set all over the album is particularly fresh and readily digestible in heavy doses, which is exactly what the band provides within the three-quarter hour effort before me. Devoid of bravado or flash for the sake of false advertising, this record builds a solid foundation with music that can stick in your head for a while after; it doesn’t repave the road, so to speak, but it does find a nice momentum while cruising along at about 50 mph. There’s nothing to really dislike about the band, to be truthful. The sharp, precise flow of the music can be all-encompassing as the fluidity of the guitars is center stage here. There’s such wonderful emotions channeled through these chords that you can’t help but be pulled into this album in all facets; it’s really a lesson in integrity that can’t possibly be lost on the masses of metal that actually ‘get it’.

Our local boys are mixing the cauldron ever slowly, folks. Slowly but surely we’re regaining our stead as one of the countries that takes pride in the metal music our talented brethren can offer.

Rating: 8.5 out of 10