German metal veteran Mat Sinner is back with a brand new Sinner album called Mask Of Sanity. Sinner has been around since mid-80s and recorded many albums plus toured with Mr. Big, Savatage, Dio and Deep Purple. This new album is a very melodic affair with lots of heavy guitars and hooks, it shows what Sinners trademark is and that is to deliver melodic metal and hardrock in the same time. Right from the start you can hear that this is a Sinner album but this time around you can hear influences from Saxon and most of all Thin Lizzy.
I don?t know if singer/bassplayer Mat Sinner has listened to Thin Lizzy lately because he sounds very much like Phil Lynott and a couple of the songs sounds just like Thin Lizzy. They also do a cover version of Thin Lizzy?s "Baby Please Don?t Go" with a good result. The production of the album is very powerful and crystal clear. They have also had some guests such as Andy B. Franck (Brainstorm), Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) and Martin Grimm (Mystic Prophecy). The whole album is very even with a few standout tracks. "Black" is a wonderful with strong riffs and a chorus with great hooks. The heavy "Thunder Roar" is filled with a wall of guitars and it rocks big time. "The Sign" is a great melodic hardrock song that reminds more of their 80s sound but still very fresh, great song anyway. Bring out your air-guitars on "Revenge", this is a song filled with outstanding riffs from Tom Nauman. "Can?t Stand The Heat" sounds very much like Thin Lizzy. There is also a bonus video track of "Diary Of Evil". Sinner has done a good comeback album that should appeal their fans for sure and find some new ones as well. Yes, Sinner are back with full force.
