When I heard that Cardinal Sin’s ‘Spiteful Intents’ was finally getting a proper reissue, I was genuinely excited. This is one of those releases from the Swedish underground that has been talked about for years, but has always remained one of those harder pieces to get hold of in its original form. I did not hesitate and ordered both the LP and CD from Calvin at Pulverised Records. For someone who has always had a soft spot for that early Swedish period where Black Metal, Death Metal and Thrash Metal were still freely mixing together, this was exactly the kind of reissue I wanted to see.
Cardinal Sin only existed for a short time, but the names involved immediately make the story interesting. John Zwetsloot, after his time with Dissection, formed the band in 1995 together with Jocke Göthberg and Devo Andersson, both of whom were associated with the early Marduk lineup. Zwetsloot handled guitar and bass, Andersson guitar and bass, while Göthberg took care of vocals and drums. They recorded the material at Berno Studio in 1995, with the original four-track ‘Spiteful Intents’ EP appearing through Wrong Again Records in 1996. The new edition finally gives that material some proper physical treatment, while also adding three recordings from the same session that had previously remained unavailable, bringing the whole thing to nearly half an hour.
What makes ‘Spiteful Intents’ interesting to me is that it captures a period when the Swedish scene had not yet been neatly divided into all the subgenres people would later attach to it. You can hear Black Metal, Death Metal and Thrash Metal fighting for space in these songs, while the melodic guitar work gives the whole thing another dimension. Zwetsloot’s classical guitar background is obviously part of the picture, but Cardinal Sin is not simply an extension of Dissection. The riffs are often rougher and more aggressive, and there is a noticeable Thrash Metal influence pushing the songs forward.
The title track is probably the best example of what the band were doing. It starts with a quieter guitar passage before suddenly opening up into fast, aggressive riffing, and the song keeps changing direction without losing its sense of purpose. ‘Probe with a Quest’ takes things into a slightly more melodic and atmospheric area, while ‘The Cardinal Sin’ keeps the attack more direct. ‘Language of Sorrow’ is only a brief piece, but it adds another small atmospheric touch to the original EP.
The three additional recordings are a welcome addition rather than pointless padding. ‘Fallen from Life’s Enlightened Throne’ and ‘Ante Mortem’ give a little more insight into where the band were heading, while the Death cover ‘Infernal Death’ is particularly interesting because it fits naturally into this early Swedish interpretation of Extreme Metal. The bonus material does not suddenly transform the release into something completely different, but it gives the listener a better picture of Cardinal Sin’s short-lived existence.
The production has also been handled sensibly. The original recordings were made at Berno Studio in 1995 and the new edition was remastered by Devo Andersson in 2023. It still sounds like a recording from that period, which is exactly how it should be. The guitars remain raw enough to retain their character, while the remaster gives the material enough presence for the riffs and drums to come through properly.
If I have any criticism, it is simply that Cardinal Sin left us wanting more. There are moments where the songwriting hints at something that could have developed much further had the band continued. Some ideas pass by before they have had the chance to really sink in, and the short running time leaves you wondering what a full-length album might have sounded like.
That is also what makes this reissue worthwhile. It is not some forgotten masterpiece that suddenly needs to be placed above everything else from Sweden in the 1990s. It is a document of a very specific moment, recorded by musicians who were already deeply involved in that scene and who were experimenting with the boundaries between Black Metal, Death Metal and Thrash Metal.
For me, finally having ‘Spiteful Intents’ sitting on both LP and CD makes the wait worthwhile. Cardinal Sin may have had a very short lifespan, but these recordings have enough character, aggression and melody to justify bringing them back into circulation. If you have an interest in the rougher and less predictable side of 1990s Swedish Extreme Metal, this is one reissue that makes perfect sense.
