SINOATH formed in Italy in 1990. It looks like the drummer is the only original member, and many of the other guys joined after 2010.  The EPK did not contain any bio information, so I had to search up The Metal Archives. It also looks like they started as a Black/Death/Doom band, and morphed into more Progressive Rock leanings on the latest album here. The album contains twelve tracks.

"Drawings on the Dust" is an opening mood-setting instrumental. It features some downtrodden piano and keyboard notes with a stark contrast against the melody line. "Psychic Wars" begins with more soft piano notes and some fast background chaos that enters and then retreats. The music is hard to quantify at first, then rolls forward with a steadier sound of Progressive Rock with odd vocals. "Startershock (Phantasmagoria)" is another odd song that begins with bass guitars, a tense atmosphere, and some airy lead guitar notes. It morphs into a free jam for the remainder of the song.

"Cogito Ergo Doom" is a gloomy and doom-filled song with a lot of underlying grumblings. The trumpeter goes on as if he is playing a song for his friends, unaware of the backing darkness. The two are not very congruent. "Let It Be Something" features vocals again. The music is soft, solemn and depressing, and the vocals are reflective of this as well. Some leads break in and follow the melody line closely. "From the Clash of the Planets" is another attempt at free-reign writing...just going with your gut than off the script. The guitars build this sludgy sound that circles back with some keyboards that don't follow the melody line very well. "On the Edge of Perceptions" is another trial and error song that features heavy bass and drum lines, with some experimental sounds from the other instruments.

"Darkest than Midnight" opens with clean guitar tones and more of those doleful tones. Vocals pass through the background briefly. The sound turns somewhat jovial in an odd circus music sort of way. "The Recurring Ghost" features some odd percussion and other sounds in a song that barely registers as music. These guys must have been pretty stoned to write this album, as the fuzz of the 60's and 70's registers hard here. "Sleepless," by contrast, is a prettier song that follows a bit more linear progressions. The keyboards are lazy as are the lead guitar notes. "U.F.D.E.M." features vocals once again. "Vertigo" closes the album, with opening cymbal crashes and rhythm guitars. This would best be summarized as "noise."

Look to the experimental side of music for SINOATH's "Portrait of Personal Darkness." That being said, besides a few notable genres which are easier to pick out, much of the album is mired in a dark and odd sound without much sonority in the way of the music. I for one like more experimental albums, but really could not find much to write about here. I applaud their commitment to writing whatever is on their mind at the moment the fingers hit the strings, but it's just too weird for most people to enjoy in my opinion.