This Swedish Glam Metal outfit are now into their second album. Its predecessor, Switchblade Serenades (2008), was an uneven effort that mixed Glam/Sleaze with Metal to the point of musical schizophrenia. This time almost all of the sleaze are practically gone, making the Metal part take over more and more, even though they look pretty sleaze still. The band started out back in 2003, but it would take them all the way to 2007 to release their debut E.P. Smash The Silence and album Dance Of The Wicked. But it wasn’t until 2008 and the already mentioned Switchblade Serenades that there would be a buzz about them. The band got a reputation as a killer live act early on and it doesn’t surprise me at all as their music is very much “live music”. With a tight and ballsy band fronted by loud mouth Liv Jagrell, a raven haired bomb shell that gives the music an extra punch, I would have wished for a more solid material. So my expectations wasn’t on the rise and I listened to this album more out of curiosity than anything else. And believe you me, this time it took only one listen for this guy to get completely floored. Yes, ladies and gents, this time Sister Sin decided to show no mercy and take no prisoners and go all in. This is a gut puncher de luxe!
The sound scape is big, ballsy and in your face and lead singer Liv Jagrell is just full of attitude and piss and vinegar – and with the voice to go with that. Makes me wish that more frontwomen in rock could be more like her, because Lagrell really is the real deal. Damn, I wish that more men in rock had the power and the attitude of hers. When it comes to the music, there are some really powerful, kick ass tunes on here. The title track is a powerful anthem that blew me away right from get go, ”Outrage” is heavy. Catchy. Angry. ”Better Than Them” is full of ”F**k you” attitude and their cover of U.D.O.’s ”24/7” is just amazing. I’m gonna stick my neck out here and say that it actually kills the original version. To name drop songs here isn’t really fair because it does not contain one bad track. Just listen to ”Built To Last”, ”The Devil I Know” and ”Nailbiter”. This is just furious stuff. But they saved the best for last. ”Beat ’em Down” is a fist right in your gut, kicking your butt right into next week. This is how I like my Metal – catchy, melodic, yet so full of power and attitude that you almost lose your breath. I nominate this song the best metal track of 2010, so there you go.
At first many of the songs might sound a bit too alike and you might not get it at first – and there are the odd filler or two here – but give it a few spins and you’ll be there with fist held high and a banging head. I have no objections about the production – this is a real metal album with more Accept and less Mötley Crüe – so the production is raw and edgy, but maybe, just maybe it could use a little finesse here and there, although that’s trivial. So, if you’re a metal head, do yourself a favour and get this. If you’re just another hard rock fan, well, I have a feeling this album could be for you also. I cross my fingers for world domination for Sister Sin, so let’s help them out in that department. Get the album – the world needs Sister Sin.
Jon Wilmenius (8/10)
Tracklist:
01. Sound Of The Underground
02. Outrage
03. Better Than Them
04. 24/7
05. Heading For Hell
06. I Stand Alone
07. Built To Last
08. The Devil I Know
09. Times Aren’t A-Changing
10. Nailbiter
11. Beat Em Down
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