Crash & Burn

Matt Sinner and his first band, Sinner, have released their 16th full-length album; and 17th if you include Matt Sinner’s solo CD released in 1990 and included the line-up of Sinner at the time. Their latest effort is entitled Crash & Burn and is the first time the band have released an album in consecutive years since their 1997/1998 CD’s, called Judgement Day and Nature Of Evil.

2007’s Mask Of Sanity was a pretty good, yet a standard Sinner release; and Crash & Burn seems to be following in the same footsteps. Sinner have been one of those bands who have rarely changed their sound over the decades (much like AC/DC) and in those few cases, works for them. Sinner play your traditional heavy metal, a mix of both European heavy metal and American 80’s hard rock/metal.

Crash & Burn sees a return to their roots kinda feel, where Sinner churn out the short, three and a half minute rockin’ tracks, that you would hear playing in any rowdy bar or pub across the land. Nothing special, just metal and hard rock, songs about fighting, women and all round “guy’s stuff”. Although this type of hard rock/metal appeals to me, being a huge fan of AC/DC, I must say that it does get a tad boring if all you’re hearing is the same song structure over and over again. Despite this, there are still some great tracks on here, containing some wicked foot-taping, head-shaking riffs, grooves and beats; and some top-notch solos.

The thing I miss most about Sinner is their more in-depth, creatively written tracks; the ones which actually went beyond the five minute mark. Songs which graced previous Sinner releases from the 90’s and 2000, but alas, it seems those days are now gone, unfortunately.

I must say that guitarist Henny Wolter has done another great job on Crash & Burn since returning to the flock after a years absence (as well as a returning member of Primal Fear). Along with Christof Leim; these two have ripped out some cracking riffs, licks and solos. Matt Sinner as the bassist, did very well, but Matt Sinner as the vocalist, was a little inconsistent on Crash & Burn. He’s lost a bit of range and delivery in his voice, but still has that raspy, grating, coarse feel in his voice which makes him unique and perfect for their style of metal.

Some of the better tracks off the album include the following: Crash & Burn, with its air-raid siren starting the show before the fast-paced opening riff and beat begins. The Dog is probably one of the best tracks on the CD, having a cool “driving” riff which keeps your head nodding every time you hear it. Break The Silence is a slower, mid-paced track, but totally riff driven with a catchy chorus. Revolution has a great southern rock/bluesy feel, with a kick-ass solo in the middle. Until It Hurts is a slower track, featuring acoustics and heavy bass. With a pick up during the chorus, this track is another of the best on the CD. Finally, Like A Rock, the album closer, has a great driving riff, a catchy chorus and a top vocal performance by Mr. Sinner. The limited edition version of Crash & Burn contains two bonus tracks (One Night Only and Fast Decision 2008) and a video clip of Revolution.

Here’s the bottom line; although Crash & Burn is an enjoyable yet typical Sinner release, it’s not their best effort, nor their worst. Obviously, it’s not meant to be ground-breaking, just something to rock out to while chuggin’ a beer with your buddies, or while driving in your car.

If you enjoyed what you heard on Mask Of Sanity, or even any release of Sinner in the past ten years, then Crash & Burn will tickle your fancy. Anyone loving their traditional hard rock/metal, from the 80’s till now, will have an interest; and possibly fans of Primal Fear might also wanna check it out.

Originally written for www.themetalforge.com and www.metalcdratings.com

There is just a single point to stress about this umpteenth Sinner offering: its title analyzes the band’s model behavior flawlessly. Crash and burn. Play the scorned card, quickly discover why it’s scorned, and experience the inevitable. Oh boy. Perhaps Sinner did not get the memo about modernization. Nevertheless, the main notion behind “Crash & Burn” leaves Mat Sinner and the remaining pact scrambling to grab generic hard rock à la “Fear of the Dark” with a shot of estrogen and a missing cerebellum, allowing us to observe the vegetative object flail endlessly into its own demise. Overall this bastardization of hard rock stands remarkably preposterous in its fallacious glory, perhaps due to Sinner’s unfortunate decision to give the blasphemous progeny a safeguard into our world, or simply because few items will ever sample its utter disdainfulness. Either way, I made a crown out of dog shit…it’s for you, Sinner(s)!

“Crash & Burn,” much like other mainstreamed attempts, destroys the prevalent texture of hard rock, especially due to Sinner’s neglect for their own music. Although it’d be nifty to mention some daring aspect about Sinner’s approach, there really isn’t anything enjoyable. It’s just what you’d expect when discussing generic hard rock: predictable riffs, bland percussion, a general dependency on verse-chorus quilts, plus no identity in sight. However, as things progress, “Crash & Burn” quickly becomes much, much worse, as Sinner narrows the faceless smirk of soulless hard rock into pop rock, so incredibly awful I can’t even emphasize how bad it really is, and that my, friends is “Crash & Burn” in a few sentences. The music itself is so void of actual decency and intelligence I’m daring to say it shouldn’t qualify as such, and it doesn’t take a PHD to realize Sinner’s performance defiles any possibility of musical appreciation from these hard rock formulas, not because it’s hard rock, but because the whole album self-destructs right when those half-assed ideas and haphazard, radio-friendly qualities begin, although a lot more verbatim where it hurts.

Essentially, “Crash & Burn” masquerades itself as a “Fear of the Dark” tribute without a cut or two framing virtuous potential despite a disqualifying surrounding; this one is a deadbeat throughout, hardly maintaining a sturdy function regardless of form. But the mastermind behind the curtain, Mat Sinner, revels in the unspoken characteristic that several fans and critics alike convey as frivolous: old age. The gruff, rusty chimes are not infallible, but very out of place in its musical terms while lacking a sense of ambition, which over time blasts a huge hole in the album’s dehydrated sternum via an old lust for fast cars, hot women, and shitty rock music that once knew when to stop, unlike this German band (hint, hint) I’ve heard of before.

Simply put, he’s not an appropriate fit regardless of vocal interpretation, albeit a key representation of the album’s habitual mood; that being it has absolutely no substance whatsoever. Hell, I’d expect metal like this from Avril Lavigne, whom actually has a direct connection with Sinner’s razor-laced bowel movement based on their cover of Marvelous 3’s “Little Head,” which was written by Butch Walker, now a record producer, and ultimately, Avril Lavigne’s. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with an obscure cover like so, but pop-punk riffing and a chorus that has Sinner practically yelling “KILL US!” destroys that notion right when liftoff commences. Definitely an unmatchable musical achievement in the negative zone that only few will dare touch or even comprehend without aid from Planet Retardia. No jokes, if you’re looking for intellectual devolution, you’ve found it.

Now had I said most tunes on “Crash & Burn” suck as bad as “Little Head,” I’d be an obvious fibber, because there are one or two songs from Sinner’s contribution that are minimally better (not saying much), and even creditable toward the musical objective. “Break the Silence” and the title track aren’t bad despite already showing drastic instrumental decline once time kicks in, still attributing catchy riffs alongside some good soloing sections. However, Sinner’s attack quickly leaves this pseudo-utopia shortly thereafter, almost immediately divulging into recycled hard rock in the form of a snowball: progressively worsening until “Little Head” arrives, and then creating a paralyzing effect that mutes Sinner’s final cuts into vomiting pop-rock operations through bland formulas and one-dimensional songs, finally putting this abomination out of its misery. And yes, it hurts.

To comprehensively include every piece of poetic garbage within Sinner’s unpardonable contribution would require numerous listens upon what I have already bestowed upon myself, and since there’s a slim chance in Hell that’ll ever happen once more, I’ll make it quick: disembowel your hearing instruments if said action influences escape from this horrific object of ghastly fundamentals. If Mat Sinner had any remaining dignity, he should have put Sinner to rest and left the valor shining with honor instead of selling his soul nearly thirty years into the band’s longevity, and if “Crash & Burn” doesn’t cram the idea of retirement down his throat, Sinner will proceed down a dead-end road, only to be gutted by natural selection within a few more albums. Needless to say, calling this one repugnant is the politically correct way of saying what “Crash & Burn” truly deserves.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com

You’d think that power metal and good old rock, as well as early 80’s metal would all mesh together, and pretty much be all one entity since they’re all directly related to one another, yet somehow on “Crash and Burn” you can pick out each separate genre. Yet, even with all this genre-melding, “Crash and Burn” only pulls tired old cliches together as generically as possible. From the wavering power metal vocals which seem to warble so perfectly the vocalist might as well be a robotic singer. Also cliche are is the lyrical content, which you get to hear sure cool quips about lighting striking twice, kings loosing crowns, biting the hand that feeds, and chorus lines about crashing and burning. With lyrical content so shallow, one has to wonder what the purpose of the record is. At least with gory subject matter from Cannibal Corpse there’s some attempt at a story and creativity.

The music itself actually seems sharply divided between traditional early 80’s metal (think early Dio and Ozzy), and other songs that pull right from blues influenced 80’s bar rock. It’s strange though, as the power metal vocals don’t seem to fit in either case, perhaps due to the fact that the emotionless delivery on top of a passionless, yet perfectly executed (these guys are skilled and know how to either record their stuff well, or pick the right people to do the job) split album with a rock band one side, and a heavy metal band on the other. The idea working gritty bar rock with heavy metal is actually a cool idea, but like all old-school throwbacks in order to make an album work, you need enough passion to throw your own life away to play it up well.

The album does get some redemption later though, as the riffs become more catchy, hence the rating being a 60 rather than a 50.

Originally posted at www.waytooloud.com