Artist: Sister Sin
Title: True Sound of the Underground
Type: Album
Label: Metal Heaven/Victory Records
According to the official Swedish census (it’s amazing what a minute or two online with broadband will find), Gothenburg is the second largest city in Sweden, named for the river Gota Alv around which it was founded, and has a population of almost one million, making it the fifth largest city in the entire Nordic region. In my mind, however, which can normally be found pickled in scrumpy, it is a heaven on earth, populated by an army of true rock warriors, where the streets are free of chavs and schemies playing tinny fake R ‘n’ B out of the speakers of their stolen mobile phones, and every bar resounds to the hail of guitars. Exactly how many bands can one city produce? Well, if you’re Gothenburg, the number seems to be countless, with Sister Sin being another platoon in their ever growing army of metal.
This is the second album by the band, following on from their 2008 release ‘Switchblade Serenades’, and if you are familiar with the first release, this is no departure from their roots, rather an evolution in terms of experience and confidence. Far from the extreme sounds that often come smashing out of Sweden’s long winter nights, ‘True Sound of the Underground’ is massively influenced by Eighties heavy rock and metal, the band’s forthcoming extensive US tour opening for the Michael Schenker Group giving an idea of their target audience. Lead single from the album, ‘Outrage’, has the line "I want that teenage rampage, mayhem and outrage", and with the backing group vocals, it had me instantly thinking of Skid Row’s massive hit ‘Youth Gone Wild’. That same style, with nods to the likes of Accept and The Crue, run throughout the album, and I’m sure front woman Liv looks better in skin tight leathers then Vince Neil ever did or ever will, and her high notes sound a lot less forced!
‘Better Then Them’ and ‘24/7’ have the same pumping rhythm and catchy guitar guaranteed to have fingerless studded leather gloves punching the air, played with the same cocksure certainty that defined so many hair metal bands from back in the day. Strangely enough, when those particular metal monsters walked the earth in their cowboy boots and day-glo spandex a couple of decades ago, I was to be found, even then in baggy shorts and thrash shirt, growling at how staged and shallow this style of music sounded compared to my beloved Exodus, Overkill and Onslaught. Now, when put next to the manufactured pop-punk that is plastered over the covers of so many scene magazines, this now sounds honest, refreshing, and has me nodding along in appreciation. There really is nothing new to be found in this album, but what there is an infectious confidence and swagger, played without pretension or gimmick, and simply meant to entertain, and I can find nothing wrong with that.
http://www.myspace.com/sisterssin
http://www.sistersin.com
