Said it before, will say it again: in relevance, Mat Sinner is (or should be) as a 'constant' for German Metal as artists like Udo Dirkschneider or Doro Pesch or Rock 'n' Rolf or Kai Hansen. Not only has he achieved preserving his own band for 26 years(!) now, not only has he achieved in being associated with major 'metallic' events on German ground, he still is respected for his works (SINNER, PRIMAL FEAR) and participations/appearances while the man's still hungry for rhythmic Metal the German way.
Henny Wolter (THUNDERHEAD) is back on the trek and SINNER delivers another in-your-face European Hard 'n' Heavy album, Crash & Burn. If you seek for something innovating from SINNER it'll as well be like looking for a Prog Metal album from RUNNING WILD. Yes, there are bands willing to preserve ideals. Even if the band did flirt at times with some 'power' Metal stuff (90s) or German Hard Rock hits (late 80s) or even 'darker' elements (late 90s), fact is that the legacy of THIN LIZZY and a rendition of the whole British pre-NWOBHM movement of the 70s, along with the metallic lightning of ACCEPT are the trademark for SINNER and this does not change that easily.
Engineered by Dennis Ward and mixed by Achim Kohler, this album will not make you love SINNER if you already haven't; it will not disappoint you either, if you're a follower of the band through the years. 'Achtung!' for PRIMAL FEAR fans (who - I think - are much more in numbers) that are not familiar with SINNER's blend: if the Ralf Scheepers-fronted steps on the neat post-mid-80s PRIEST bombarding sound, the SINNER mildness goes back in times and collects more 'retro' Metal stuff for spotlight.
Mat Sinner has written enough songs with Henny Wolter but also requested 'help' from Igor Gianola (U.D.O.) and Magnus Karlsson (Allen/Lande and several other Frontiers-related projects). The result?
- Crash & Burn: the siren's turned on, the guitar riffs break loose and the German equivalent to SAXON's 90s-00s deeds cuts loose in some 'ride away' tempo.
- Break The Silence: Mid-pace thunder with sharp chords and some harmony chorus. A blistering hardrockin' solo from Wolter steps in between.
- The Dog: A faster tempo, with some hardhittin' 'sharpened' riff and a call-of-the-wild choir outcry. A Rock 'n' Roll attitude track here.
- Heart Of Darkness: If you think of THIN LIZZY/Gary Moore and 'travelling' RUNNING WILD, you got the recipe. 'Twin leads' intro carries on with some narrative vocals, to 'refrain up' in the SINNER non-stick tradition.
- Revolution: Straightforward Hard Rock, rather 'American' for the likes of SINNER but - anyway - a pure party 'goodie'.
- Unbreakable: Getting mid-tempo again, with a chorus that brought the 80s days of SINNER to mind (the way Mat twists his voice around, in specific).
- Fist To Face: NWOBHM meets Germany's straightforward Metal and hell hath no fury. Full speed at high level, a Metal thunder you'll not resist.
- Until It Hurts: a mild tune, with some sore chords and the voice of Sinner trying to be 'mainstream'. Good but not that impressive.
- Little Head: A 'positive vibe' song, hardrockin' and winning your feet dancing to the rhythm eventually.
- Connection: The references to THIN LIZZY's inheritance carries on here. An up tempo rocker with all the Irish aura shivering your spine.
- Like A Rock: mid-pace stormblast, an U.D.O.-meets-SINNER integration, full of energy and with a sample of PRIMAL FEAR-ish late refrains.
The limited edition of Crash & Burn will boast a digipak 'sleeve' and will include a video for the song Revolution plus two bonus tracks, One Night Only (written by Mat & Karlsson) and Fast Decision 2008. For those wondering what's the '2008' addition, let's bring back to mind year 1983 and the same-titled second (then) album of SINNER (it's needless to say that Sinner is the only surviving member of the band from those days, while former members played sooner or later with bands like SAXON, VIVA, TALON, THUNDERHEAD, TYRAN PACE, VICTORY, ACCEPT, GRAVESTONE, U.D.O., PRETTY MAIDS, BONFIRE, SILENT FORCE and METALIUM - talking 'bout the significance of 'uncle' Mat Sinner in German Metal?).
Crash & Burn means neat German simple 'hard' Metal anno 2008. Trust Mat.

SINNER - Revolution