Vor gut zwei Jahren veröffentlichten die holländischen Death-Metal-Veteranen SINISTER mit "Afterburner" ein Comebackalbum, das musikalisch ein deutliches Ausrufezeichen setzen konnte, allerdings die Frage offenließ, warum sich die Band zwischenzeitlich überhaupt aufgelöst hatte. Denn obwohl sich im Line-Up einiges getan hatte (u.a. wechselte Drummer Aad hinter das Mikro), knüpfte "Afterburner" nahtlos an frühere Veröffentlichungen an, präsentierte aber wesentlich spannendere Songs. Und auch das neue Album "The Silent Howling" bietet ein weiteres Mal das für SINISTER so typische Gitarrengeriffe über vertrackten Hochgeschwindigkeits-Drumpatterns. Eine gute Gelegenheit, bei Neu-Sänger Aad Kloosterwaard einmal anzuklopfen und ihm einige Fragen zum aktuellen Album zu stellen.

SJM: Hi Aad, how are you and what are you doing right now?

Aad / Sinister: Hi thanks for asking! I am doing okay and at the moment I am doing this interview, hahaha!

SJM: You have just released your new album "The Silent Howling". I assume you already got reviews and opinions by now. How were the reactions you got, from both the press and the fans?

Aad / Sinister: They were really good! Of course we are happy with this. As you already know, you never can make everybody happy, but that’s okay for us. And the most important thing is that we love the new record.

SJM: The sound of "The Silent Howling" is quite similar to your latest effort "Afterburner" in the best sense of the word. What are the main differences between these two records?

Aad / Sinister: I think that there are many differences between these two records. On "The Silent Howling" you will hear similarities to the "Afterburner"-album, but that’s normal. Overall this record is quite different. We have a lot of melodic parts now in our music. That is for sure one of the big differences, and that we have only songs that are longer than 6 min is also new for us. In the music is so much more going on than on the "Afterburner"-album. You have to listen to this records a couple of times and everytime you will hear something new… believe me!

SJM: There are some quite melodic parts on the new album, e.g. in "Palace Of The Fates". Where do you take these inspirations and who came up with these ideas?

Aad / Sinister: All the music was written by Alex [Paul, Guitarist in SINISTER], so it was Alex, who came up with these ideas… Well, and it turned out killer, we think. The guy who did the keyboards for us on this record helped us with this part from "Palace Of The Fates". All these parts will belong to the SINISTER-sound in the future.

SJM: Are you writing the songs as a team? Does your new role as the frontman in Sinister (since the reunion) have any influences on the process of songwriting?

Aad / Sinister: We are not writing the songs as a team – as I said, Alex is making all the music. When he has the songs ready, he always shows us how it sounds, and then we tell him what we think about it. Mostly we think they are killer, but when it can be better we speak about this.

SJM: In how far is the cover-artwork relating to the music and the title of the album? What are the lyrics about?

Aad / Sinister: I am the one who comes always with the ideas for the next album cover, and also this time of course. Most often the cover-artwork has not so much to do with the music or the lyrics. The artwork has to look good and fit to the band in general. Our lyrics are about death, war and killing and also we have fiction.

SJM: Do you have a favourite song on the album? Or do you consider the album as a whole as the right deal?

Aad / Sinister: For me the album is absolut killer, but of course I have my favourite tracks: I really like "Republic Of The Grave", "Summit Of Sacrifice" and a couple more… So that I have almost all the tracks, hahaha!

SJM: There has been a line-up change since the last album. Your drummer Paul Beltman left the band – what was the reason for this?

Aad / Sinister: Paul is a great person, but for playing in a band like SINISTER he is not the right man. He is not so much into live playing and recordings. But for a band like SINISTER these are the most important things.

SJM: Paul was replaced by the young Edwin van de Eeden. What makes him the best choice?

Aad / Sinister: Well, just listen to the new album, and you know exactly what makes him the best choice! He is a decent fellow and a killer drummer. For Alex and me it was also important that for Edwin SINISTER has first priority.

SJM: You have played some festivals in the summer. Are there any plans for further touring in Germany in the near future?

Aad / Sinister: We always like to play… But touring has always to fit in our schedules. We all have a regular job and some of us have also families and children to take care of. But we will play shows in the near future – that’s sure for one-hundred per cent!

SJM: Thank you very much for taking your time! Do you have any last comments? If there is anything you’d like to say or just add what has not been mentioned yet, you’re welcome!

Aad / Sinister: We hope that our fans will enjoy "The Silent Howling" and we hope to meet everybody on one of our shows! Horns up & cross down!