Sinner ‘Santa Muerte’
Album Review By Adam McCann
AFM Records/Heavy Metal
Following some relative success in the 1980’s, Sinner have spent the remainder of their career releasing average albums of which some are better than others. Yet, there is no denying the song writing and production capabilities of Mat Sinner, the man behind the band, alongside Primal Fear, Jorn and Level 10 amongst others. Sinner have been bubbling along almost forgotten over the past few years and this year has the band return with a new line-up and album ‘Santa Muerte’.
First and foremost, this line-up change has inserted a rocket into the arse of Sinner meaning that ‘Santa Muerte’ is a powerful album, packed full of decent tracks and memorable lines. One of the main reasons for this is the addition of vocalist Giorgia Colleluori; this young Italian has some serious pipes on her, a voice which can soar as well as Doro Pesch or Lee Aaron, but can also deliver a voice that is both bluesy and soulful and this can be seen in no better place than during ‘Lucky 13’, ‘The Ballad of Jack’ and the superb ‘Death Letter’, a track which has all the soulful emotion of Alice In Chains’ ‘Heaven Beside You’. Furthermore, what gives ‘Santa Muerte’ an added boost to its punch are guest appearances from Ricky Warwick, Ronnie Romero and Magnus Karlsson, each one giving their unique touch to their track, particularly with Romero during ‘Fiesta y Copas’.
However, ‘Santa Muerte’ just feels that little bit too long, particularly towards the end of the album. Yet, Sinner have delivered their best album in decades, ‘Santa Muerte’ is more fun than expected and it is certainly memorable. For fans of heavy metal with hard rock tendencies, then ‘Santa Muerte’ is definitely worth a listen.
Rating : 78/100
MHF Magazine/Adam McCann
