sister sin true sound of the underground

Released: 26 July 2010 Label: Metal Heaven

Gothenburg may be most well-known in metal circles for its distinctive melodic death metal sound, but the Swedish city is also home to the traditional, old school rockers in Sister Sin, a band who are a million miles from death metal, melodic or otherwise.

Instead, what we have is eleven tracks of hard and heartfelt rock, firmly rooted in the 1980s but given an appealing contemporary edge, ultimately placing the quartet somewhere between W.A.S.P, early Mötley Crüe and fellow Swedes Backyard Babies.

The album has a lack of truly mind-blowing songs, but the mid-album pairing of I Stand Alone'and Built to Last probably show the band at their best. Both tracks are straight from the 'Too Fast For Love' songbook of energetic rhythms, catchy hooks and sheer raw energy, all rounded off with some simple but effective lead guitar flourishes.

Despite the aforementioned lack of great songs, there are no real duds either and the album rocks along with a pleasing consistency, thanks in no small part to the Doro-soundalike vocals of Liv, who delivers with such conviction as to make even the more mundane songs enjoyable.

If you are looking for an innovative and challenging take on modern rock, don't add this to your basket at the checkout. You know exactly where you stand with Sister Sin - knee deep in last night's spilt beer and with a raging hangover, ready to do it all over again.

by Marcus Jervis