In the last few months, new music has been released from countries I never heard of sporting any Rock music before. Stardust from Hungary. Bloody Heels from Latvia.
And now Sinner’s Blood from Chile. If anyone can mention any major bands from those countries, let me know because I sure cannot. Stardust and Bloody Heels are more in the vein of Melodic Rock, AOR, sleaze/glam and Arena Rock but Sinner’s Blood, they’re a full-on Metal outfit.
This lot is a collaboration between singer James Robledo and multi-instrumentalist, here the guitarist, and producer Nasson, latest heard on the underwhelming Chaos Magic album which, in truth, is a bit alarming. The band was completed by bassist Nicholas Fischer and drummer Guillermo Periera in 2018 and after lots of writing and rehearsing to and fro, the band finally signed to Frontiers and is now releasing their debut full-length album.
Released as the album’s second single, opener “The Mirror” kicks off in a most ballsy way with tuned down guitars, fat riffing – heavy and dark but also very melodic where the guys mix grit with a clear, hooky main melody and a direct chorus. It’s a real powerhouse of a song that reminds some of Sons Of Apollo minus the progressive segments. It might be a bit of a standard Hard Rock meets Metal pounder but I like it. Going directly for the throat, “Phoenix Rise” is heavy and in-your-face, very direct with a slammin’ rhythm and a solid beat. It’s an energetic rocker, faster in tempo but it also contains some prominent keyboards and a massive refrain that throws elements of pop our way. This is really damn good.
“Never Again” starts out slow and stripped with an acoustic guitar at front, going for a ballad vibe. The tribal drums lurks around prog-rock but the verses takes a more laid-back, melancholic turn before the tune heavies up when the chorus strikes. It’s a heavy tune that holds some Melodic Rock laden melodies over a riff-happy Metal groove. The chorus is really catchy where the vocal-harmonies lifts the accessibility even further. This is great. Latest single “Remember Me” is a more straight ahead Hard Rock stomper with a whole bunch of crunchy, upbeat grooves. There’s a darker Metal twist to the tune as well but the strong main melody and the hooky, firing chorus makes the tune stick hard. It also reminds me some of Swedish rockers Saffire and that’s always a good thing.
“The Path Of Fear” bursts away in a fast pace, punchy and rough with a kicking rhythm. It’s an aggressive Metal belter with a muscular grit combined with lots of striking and sticky melodies which makes the song almost go flirting with Power Metal. I like the track albeit not as much as its predecessors. “Forever” is a slow, stripped down yet bombastic and big ballad. It’s both sullen with a saddening vocal-arrangement and upbeat with an underlying groove and the soundscape is comprehensive. It’s an epic ballad that starts out quiet but builds up into a massive monster-ballad with an enormous refrain. Why isn’t this a single?
A single, however, is “Kill Or Die”, the latest outing. It’s a fast-tracked rocker, heavy and beefy which holds some gritty, tuned-down guitars that goes right for the throat without warning. Coming across as Evergrey and Saffire in a blender, this punchy Hard Rock meets Metal belter isn’t what I would call single-material despite the memorable melodies and in-your-face refrain. It’s an album-track that probably will go down really well live – and it is a really good song. “Never Resting Soul” opens with a smooth synth but transforms immediately into a blasting Metal belter, next door to Speed Metal but as soon as the first verse appears, it slows down into a heavy and moody yet melodic Metal tune. It picks up the speed again when the chorus arrives and there it brings along both slick AOR-like melodies on top and another slight nod towards the darkness of a band like Evergrey. Furious yet melodic – I really dig this.
Heavy and darkening with a slight symphonic touch, the ballad “Who Am I” takes a slow pace with a whole bunch of keyboards involved. That being said, the tune is both robust and crunchy with an intense hook and a brilliantly infectious chorus. Seven minutes long, it’s a dramatic and epic piece with changing moods all over but still memorable as hell and it’s easily one of my favorite tracks of the album. Classic Hard Rock/Metal ridden, “The Hunting” takes on an early 80’s vibe, like their take on a Dio track like “We Rock” or “Stand Up And Shout”. Raw riffing, a stompy rhythm with a tough punch and a ballsy groove, this straight-forward rocker is here to kick and bite – and so it does. Add an effective refrain and we have another damn good song on our hands.
The album closes with “Awakening”, a slow and quite subdued number that starts off with a synthesizer before it grows heavy with a desolate ambience. It’s rhythmically powerful and ballsy and the guitars comes with an intimidating grit and the whole song brings on a harder edge but there’s also a fragrance of goth brought along by the ominous keyboards which contrasts well with staccato riffage. The pre-chorus takes another turn and throws in some Melodic Rock inspired melodies which goes into full bloom when the immediate and contagious chorus shows up, without ever losing the heaviness. A great way to close the album.
My first question is, what the heck happened to Chaos Magic? As underwhelming that record was, this is quite the opposite. I wonder because Nasson is heavily involved in both bands. What we get here is Metal, plain and simple. And as good I find this album, it needs to be stated it’s also a grower which is kinda strange as almost everything here is very direct – it was good from go but really gets better with time. While Sinner’s Blood might not be seminal and – on the minus side – might lack any originality, what they do bring to the table is the most important thing – good songs. Really good songs. Mixing power, aggression and heaviness with catchy melodies and spot-on choruses, these guys are looking towards a bright future. Without being a 10/10, this album is the best new Metal record Frontiers has brought us in ages. Fact is, it’s the best album by a new Metal act from any record-company in ages.
7/10
Tracklist:
1. The Mirror
2. Phoenix Rise
3. Never Again
4. Remember Me
5. The Path Of Fear
6. Forever
7. Kill Or Die
8. Never Resting Soul
9. Who I Am
10. The Hunting
11. Awakening
CD & Festival reviews 