Sinner - Crash & Burn

Traditional/Power
AFM

2008

1. Crash & Burn
2. Break The Silence
3. The Dog
4. Heart Of Darkness
5. Revolution
6. Unbreakable
7. Fist To Face
8. Until It Hurts
9. Little Head
10. Connection
11. Like A Rock

Sinner is one of those bands who had a solid beginning then fell into the trap of trying to be more commercial and glam/sleaze oriented much like Saxon. Fortunately, they also came out of it in the mid 90s whether by good sense or the fact the trend was on it's way out. Ever since 97's Judgement Day I've enjoyed the band to some degree and though I liked Mask Of Sanity less than what came before I had some hopes for this one rebounding.

Well guess what? Those hopes did exactly what this album title said they would... crash & burn. Actually my hopes did stay alive a bit till around track 5 and if I had to point to an exact moment when they burned it would be when Mat Sinner alluded to his cock on the song Little Head. These are the kind of lyrics that might make Jackyl think twice, but let's take a step back for a moment. The song Crash & Burn does have a nice quick pace in the vein of many of Sinner's faster tracks and pleases the ear while Break The Silence sounds like a nice heavy groove track that the band has also been known for. Heart Of Darkness also has a nice melodic guitar intro and the song works as a sort of melodic rock/metal number even if it does start to delve a bit into the Velveeta. Once you've gotten past track 4 though the good stuff is pretty much done and even track 3 was a little shaky with that sleaze rock vibe starting to rear it's ugly head. Pretty much all the rest of the tracks could be lumped in with the blues rock side of glam metal. It still has a sort of Sinner sound to it, but I can't wrap my brain around this directional change or and the sound of these songs just doesn't sit with me. Unbreakable is pretty much the only other song that sounds metal enough for me to be honest and the ballad Until It Hurts just doesn't help. This isn't Poison bad or anything, but it certainly isn't There Will Be Execution good either.

Maybe Mat Sinner just needs a reminder that the glam/sleaze rock ship has sailed. Then again Motley Crue's Saints Of Los Angeles did debut at #4 on the Billboard Top 100 so what do I know. Just that I don't really want to hear this.

Highlights: Crash & Burn, Break The Silence

Rating - 2.5/5

Sinner - Mask Of Sanity

Power Metal
MTM Music

2007

1. The Other Side
2. Diary Of Evil
3. Badlands
4. Black
5. The Thunder Roar
6. The Sign
7. Revenge
8. Under The Gun
9. Can't Stand The Heat
10. No Return
11. Last Man Standing
12. Baby Please Don't Go

Though Sinner was Mat Sinner's main focus once upon a time, in more recent years the band has taken a definite back seat to Primal Fear. The two bands have had many musical similarities and Ralf Scheepers' backup vocals in Sinner led to the idea of Primal Fear. Essentially that band was born of Sinner with Ralf singing and Mat opted to focus on the more successful of the two. Well now officially labeled as a side project of Mat, Sinner has resurfaced here with a new release after a 4 year wait. The wait for me was a long one as I really loved their previous album, There Will Be Execution.

Unfortunately, this album seems to have little in common with TWBE and instead opts for a similar toned down, melodic direction as Primal Fear's latest. The results here are far less interesting however. While I like Mat's singing, the melodic direction he takes here along with the mid-paced and generally none too heavy guitar really makes this album seem devoid of energy. This is a sharp contrast to Seven Seals where Ralf's more forceful vocals drive the album along. Also missing here are memorable hooks and choruses and a lot of this album just blends together for me. When you're going for a melodic rock album with none too showy or technical playing it's got to rely on the songwriting and simply put, it's just not here. Predictable and none too memorable songs in a fairly uncreative melodic rock mold are the rule here and are a sharp contrast to the generally heavier and more upbeat album that preceded it. While this album is a decent listen, it lacks any great highlights and I'd rank it as the weakest among Sinner's albums since they shifted to a more power-centric mold in the mid 90s. The only track that really sounds like the heavy groove Sinner we've come to know is the first one which starts with a solid punch. From there though the album seems to go through the motions for the most part. Last Man Standing does also recall a bit heavier Sinner and Thunder Roar is a bit more upbeat and energetic with some solid guest vocals from Andy Franck of Symphorce/Brainstorm.

Basically, this is an alright listen but nothing really jumped out at me in the several times I listened to it. As a fan, I really wanted and expected more out of the band after the last album. No really bad songs here, but no really great ones either. This is probably a passable release for fans, but not the place to start for a new listener. In the end this album is more or less forgettable.

Highlights: Thunder Roar, The Other Side, Last Man Standing

Rating - 3.0/5