Sinner's new album '
Mask Of Sanity' is a shade heavier and considerably more melodic than 2003's ungrammatically titled '
There Will Be Execution'. But the talk of the band "going back to their roots" is clearly exaggerated.
Unless of course that claim translates to ripping off
Thin Lizzy bigtime. In that case there's a great deal of truth to the postulation.
It's not so much the songs, but the style.
Sinner's sound here approximates Lynnot's celtic flavoured rock to the extent that it's hard to see past it.
The first three songs
'The Other Side', '
Diary Of Evil' and '
Badlands' just scream TL in the guitar tones & riffs and in the vocal phrasing & harmonies.
And that's a pity as '
Mask Of Sanity' could have been so much more. The production (handled by Mat
Sinner) is calculatedly crisp and sonically clear. Guitarwork from Tom Naumann and new member Christopher (Traceelords) Leim is densely constructed and carries considerable weight, giving many of these songs an impressive momentum.
Eventually,
'No Return' unshackles the band from their TL chains and shows us just what they're currently capable of. Peppering a riffy landscape with classical piano sketches was an inspired move. Even the poptastic, metallized closer '
Last Man Standing' is a huge improvement on the TL inclinations that come early on.
More like these and
Sinner would have been a winner again.
But it's too little too late.
Maybe next time.
Written by
Brian Saturday, February 24, 2007
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