Review by Felix on December 4, 2019.

Sinmara are one of these pretty ambitious bands from Iceland that perform a very individual black metal approach. Given this situation, it is no surprise that their EP from 2017 does not dish up subgenre fast food, but complex tracks that do not lack twists and turns, not to mention tempo shifts. Their formerly shown affinity for dissonant, sometimes nearly nerve-shattering sounds does not play a prominent role here, but the band still fights against any form of conventions, if we neglect the genre-usual raw voice. Speaking of the vocals, they do not express an overdose of profound hatred or murderous insanity. Instead, they convey a feeling of masculine melancholy. This fits the music, because Sinmara present a rather relaxed kind of black metal. Hyper-speed, total misanthropy or brutality for its own sake are not on the agenda of the islanders.

Honestly speaking, I partly miss the aforementioned features. Within the Weaves of Infinity appears somewhat overloaded. Perhaps it was not the best idea to set the musical bar that high. A well-defined smack in the eye can work very well too. But of course, this is not the Icelandic way of blackness. Thus, I have to arrange myself with the three pieces the way they are, and I admit that they do not lack coherence, substance and diversity. Nevertheless, with few exceptions, the single parts do not transport the feeling that made me curious to listen to each and every black metal album I could get hold off. “Nine Halls” makes the stormiest statement. This track lies in close proximity to the songs I think of when it comes to black metal, but it does not have that special aura to join my private hall of fame.

The production does not please me, because the material sounds pretty blurred. Directness and pressure are missing. To call the sound a mishmash would be a tad too much, but black metal without powerful drums is a discipline only Darkthrone are (or: were) able to manage. The guitar tone also lacks malignancy and in view of all these details, I am slightly disappointed. I like ambitious song-writers, but I like good songs even more. Sinmara should decide whether they want to play music for their followers or rather for themselves. Both is legitimate, I just would like to it.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Review by Allan on November 4, 2002.

You’ve got to love it when you just stumble across a remarkable band when you weren’t even expecting it. It is even better when that band is still young, only then releasing their debut album. That’s what happened to me with Suicide Note, and their new debut album "You’re Not Looking So Good". Let me let you in on a little secret: metal-core rarely sounds this good.

Musically, one could classify Suicide Note as falling somewhere in between the sounds of the mighty Zao and some form of emo and punk. Suicide Note also show signs of being influenced by "Until Your Heart Stops"-era Cave In. However, around ninety percent of Suicide Note’s music is most closely related to the hardcore field.

When I went back to listen to "You’re Not Looking So Good" for a second time, the first thing that I noticed was that somehow the music seemed so familiar. I realized that it’s because Suicide Note have the ability to write some amazingly catchy riffs that don’t sacrifice even one shred of dignity. If you’re thinking it might be because the melodies on this album are basic and simple, I can assure they aren’t. Suicide Note just have that extra touch that pushes them a long way.

Suicide Note isn’t only bound to great melodies. They make an excellent connection with raw emotion in their songs. They somehow make something as primitive as anger seem deep, when most of the time it’s just caused by some act of barbarianism. Even the manic screams of Casey Donley fit the energy of the songs so well and seem to carry some form of semblance, not being there for the sake of being heavy. Listening to Suicide Note, you can somehow tell that when they play their music they put themselves into it one hundred percent.

Throughout the thirty minutes of "You’re Not Looking So Good", Suicide Note rips their way through so many different ideas. The composition abilities are good though, so you won’t be exposed to any cut and paste riffing. While the album follows the general theme of being intense and heavy, melody is abound everywhere on this album, from the extreme side of it to the times when Suicide Note splice in some clean vocals and clean guitars. The last thing to be aware of when it comes to Suicide Note is that you better be prepared for some whip lash, because there is no way that someone can avoid the grooves of songs like ‘Reno and Blood,’ ‘Amputee Supermodel,’ or ‘Come On Fuck Me’.

Bottom Line: The reason I can enjoy the over-saturated metal-core scene is because of bands like Suicide Note.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 7
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.4 out of 10

Review by Allan on November 4, 2002.

You’ve got to love it when you just stumble across a remarkable band when you weren’t even expecting it. It is even better when that band is still young, only then releasing their debut album. That’s what happened to me with Suicide Note, and their new debut album "You’re Not Looking So Good". Let me let you in on a little secret: metal-core rarely sounds this good.

Musically, one could classify Suicide Note as falling somewhere in between the sounds of the mighty Zao and some form of emo and punk. Suicide Note also show signs of being influenced by "Until Your Heart Stops"-era Cave In. However, around ninety percent of Suicide Note’s music is most closely related to the hardcore field.

When I went back to listen to "You’re Not Looking So Good" for a second time, the first thing that I noticed was that somehow the music seemed so familiar. I realized that it’s because Suicide Note have the ability to write some amazingly catchy riffs that don’t sacrifice even one shred of dignity. If you’re thinking it might be because the melodies on this album are basic and simple, I can assure they aren’t. Suicide Note just have that extra touch that pushes them a long way.

Suicide Note isn’t only bound to great melodies. They make an excellent connection with raw emotion in their songs. They somehow make something as primitive as anger seem deep, when most of the time it’s just caused by some act of barbarianism. Even the manic screams of Casey Donley fit the energy of the songs so well and seem to carry some form of semblance, not being there for the sake of being heavy. Listening to Suicide Note, you can somehow tell that when they play their music they put themselves into it one hundred percent.

Throughout the thirty minutes of "You’re Not Looking So Good", Suicide Note rips their way through so many different ideas. The composition abilities are good though, so you won’t be exposed to any cut and paste riffing. While the album follows the general theme of being intense and heavy, melody is abound everywhere on this album, from the extreme side of it to the times when Suicide Note splice in some clean vocals and clean guitars. The last thing to be aware of when it comes to Suicide Note is that you better be prepared for some whip lash, because there is no way that someone can avoid the grooves of songs like ‘Reno and Blood,’ ‘Amputee Supermodel,’ or ‘Come On Fuck Me’.

Bottom Line: The reason I can enjoy the over-saturated metal-core scene is because of bands like Suicide Note.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 7
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 7
Production: 7
Overall: 8

Rating: 7.4 out of 10