If I were in Sengir, I would be sick of other people comparing my music to The Gathering. "Because you have a female singer, don't you feel that your music is similar to Mandylion?" I have read interviewers say this so many times it's ridiculous. How thoroughly stupid do you have to be to ask questions like that? It's like saying; "because your music has guitars in it don't you think it's similar to ZZ Top?" Yes it is, don't argue.

Well, I suppose I'd better tow the line for a bit. Is it like Mandylion? No. Is it like The Gathering at all? No. Is it better? No. Now that wasn't too hard, was it? It's taken something like seven years for Sengir to release a full album. They seem to have had demos coming out of their ears, and finally, in 2003, they've released Guilty Water, an 11-track piece of Metal stodge. Well, it's actually only 9 tracks seeing as two are called 'Intro' and 'Outro'. They should have included another called 'The Middle Of The Album'. OK, maybe not.

The most important thing about Guilty Water is that the songs are very good. There isn't a bad track on the album. Unfortunately, a couple of things let them down. Firstly, Ellen Schutyser. Now, I'm sure she has a lovely personality, but her voice just isn't that good for the songs. I get the impression she'd be better off singing softer stuff, because she just wavers and bends when she tries to pack a punch. In one of the tracks, Soul's Alive, she's all over the place. It's like she's singing while going down a water slide.

Secondly, this album could be better produced. I don't have anything against small labels, I really don't, because I've heard some tiny labels [mentioning no names, Steelheart hint hint] produce some damn good stuff. But there are times when this album is just a big lump of sound. Sort of like a fruit strudel from a cheap supermarket. It's all gooey and thick and the same. You can't really pick the bits out and if you do they have no real consistency.

However, Sengir do have a lot of promise. I've heard bands release CDs like this and by their next album they're amazing, and I hope that's the case here. Either that or they'll slip away and be thrown out with the rest of the reduced stock in the dessert section. Sengir deserve to improve. All the elements are there, they just need to work on them even more. I know it's an uphill struggle guys, but press on and you'll reach the summit. I am waiting with interest for your next offering.