Mat Sinner - 'Touch of Sin 2' Interview with BrooklynRocks, Oct. '13

German bassist/vocalist Mat Sinner isn’t exactly a household name in the States but he is a big draw in Europe as Sinner (the band) was formed in 1980 and has over a dozen full-length albums under their belt. Sinner’s style of music is melodic, guitar-driven hard rock and points of reference are U.D.O., Accept and Saxon. Sinner’s newest disc, Touch of Sin 2 (AFM Records), came out on Sept. 10th and is comprised of 11 re-recorded tracks from Sinner’s predominately out-of-print back catalog, a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Don’t Believe a Word” along with two new songs. Here is a link to a review of Sinner's Touch of Sin 2 disc that I posted last month.

Mike from BrooklynRocks talked with Mat earlier this month about the new disc and the impetus behind it. They also talked about Mat's upcoming projects - a forthcoming Primal Fear disc, which will be followed by a US tour next year, and the 2014 edition of Mat's annual Rock Meets Classic tour which features vocalists Alice Cooper, Joe Lynn Turner and Kim Wilde.

Primal Fear 2014 US Tour Dates
April 29, 2014 -- Baltimore - Soundstage
April 30, 2014 -- New York - Stage 48 (Tickets are $20 and there is a VIP ticket (early admission, meet-and-greet, etc.) available for $50)
May 01, 2014 -- Quebec - Le Cercle
May 02, 2014 -- Montreal - Petit Campus
May 03, 2014 -- Toronto - MOD Club
May 04, 2014 -- Cleveland - Agora Theater
May 06, 2014 -- Joliet, Illinois - Mojoes
May 07, 2014 -- Lawrence, Kansas - Granada Theater
May 08, 2014 -- Denver - Bluebird Theater
May 10, 2014 -- Seattle - El Corazon
May 11, 2014 -- Vancouver - The Venue
May 12, 2014 -- Portland - Hawthorne Theater
May 14, 2014 -- San Francisco - DNA Lounge
May 15, 2014 -- Anaheim California - The Grove
May 16, 2014 -- Tempe, Arizona - Club Red
May 18, 2014 -- Dallas, Texas - Trees
May 19, 2014 -- Houston, Texas - Scout Bar
May 21, 2014 -- Atlanta - The Masquerade
May 22, 2014 -- Louisville - Diamond Pub
May 23, 2014 -- Pittsburgh - Altar Bar
May 24, 2014 -- Rochester - Montage Music Hall

Links:
Sinner

Sinner - 'Touch of Sin 2' CD Review (AFM Records)

German bassist/vocalist Mat Sinner isn’t exactly a household name in the States but he is a big draw in Europe as Sinner (the band) was formed in 1980 and has over a dozen full-length albums under their belt. Sinner’s style of music is melodic, guitar-driven hard rock and, in a review of Sinner’s 2009 disc Crash and Burn, I compared the band’s sound to Thin Lizzy meets pre-disco Kiss. After a fresh listen to Sinner’s music, other points of reference may be U.D.O., Accept and Saxon. Bassist/vocalist Mat Sinner sings with a throaty rasp similar to Gene Simmons and the dual-lead guitars of Andre Hilgers and Christof Leim give the band's music a pre-NWOBHM sound.

Sinner’s newest disc, Touch of Sin 2 (AFM Records), came out on Sept. 10th and is comprised of 11 re-recorded tracks from Sinner’s predominately out-of-print back catalogue, a cover of Thin Lizzy’s “Don’t Believe a Word” along with two new songs. The disc starts off strong with the melodic, gritty rocker “Born To Rock” and this track sets the tone for the rest of the disc. The band doesn’t stray far from the sound of the opening track but the pop hooks come out a bit more on “Bad Girl”. This isn’t a bad thing as this song has a sing-along chorus that will strike a familiar chord with 70’s rock fans. Some of the stronger cuts on the disc are “Knife in My Heart”, which is driven by Sinner’s vocals and strong guitar riffs, and “Danger Zone”, which is a hard-rocker with great guitar leads and a melodic chorus. “Don’t Believe A Word” is a great take on the Thin Lizzy classic as, while it sounds like a Thin Lizzy song, Sinner and crew rework and imprint their own style on the song. The disc ends where it started – with another strong rocker. “Heat of the City” is one of the new tracks and it combines the “punky” aggression of early Iron Maiden and AC/DC with great guitar riffs and leads and some call and response fist-pumping vocals.



All-in-all, Touch of Sin 2 is a great introduction to Sinner’s brand of anthemic hard-rock that should catch the ear of fans of 70's/early 80's arena rock and it would be nice to see the band do a US tour. I didn’t think Sinner had ever toured in the US but I recently ran across an interview where Mat mentioned coming to the States to play one show in New Jersey. I was curious enough to do some searches and it turns out Sinner played the March Metal Meltdown 5 festival at The Cricket Club in Irvington, New Jersey in 2003. (It goes to show I’m getting old as I completely forgot about The Cricket Club – next thing you know, someone will start name checking Voodoo Lounge in Queens or Studio One in Newark).

Links:
Sinner

White Wizzard Releases 'Over The Top' on March 9th / Show at Santos Party House on March 10th

Los Angeles traditional metal band White Wizzard are releasing their first full-length, Over the Top (Earache), on March 9th and are playing an early show at Santos Party House on March 10th.

The new disc was produced by Ralph Patlan (Megadeth, UFO, Michael Schenker) and Earache is taking pre-orders for limited edition colored vinyl and 2-CD versions of the disc. For anyone who wants an advance listen on how the new material sounds live, there are two White Wizzard videos from a recent performance at Reggie's in Chicago streaming on Chicago's UVTV site.

Here is an interview that I did with the band when they were in town last year for a show at Club Europa.



Links:
White Wizzard

White Wizzard: Video Interview & Live Footage, Club Europa 8-20-09 (Earache)

Los Angeles based NWOBHM/traditional metal band White Wizzard made their East Coast debut last month at the Brooklyn Thuder Fest at Club Europa. The band's debut EP "High Speed GTO" was released on Earache Records earlier this month and is getting excellent press. (Check out the coverage in the Village Voice)

I had the opportunity to catch up with the band before their set and I've included some footage from the band's live set after the interview.



White Wizzard recently posted on their MySpace page (link below) that they just finished recording their first full-length disc which is due out early next year.

Links:
White Wizzard

White Wizzard - High Speed GTO CD EP Review (Earache Records)

Later this summer, Earache will be reissuing the debut EP from Los Angeles NWOBHM-influenced band White Wizzard. The original lineup of the band cut this EP in '07 and it went out as a very limited release. White Wizzard got national attention when the title cut from the EP "High Speed GTO" was included on Earache's Heavy Metal Killers compilation earlier this year. The band's 7-track EP is now being reissued with a bonus video track for "High Speed GTO" (below). Earache refers to the bands on the Heavy Metal Killers compilation as "New Wave of Traditional Metal" and that is probably as good a label as anything. White Wizzard plays hook-heavy melodic metal which has elements of Van Halen, Saxon, Judas Priest and Quiet Riot in its music. You also have to love a band that name-checks (the grossly underrated) Wrathchild America on their MySpace page.



Like many of the bands from the NWOBHM-era, White Wizzard utilize dual-guitars and a driving bass line. The lyrical themes are pretty typical and range from cars ("High Speed GTO") to girls ("Celestina") to skeletons ("March of the Skeletons"). This last track is a bit more 'punk' than some of the other tracks and, with its driving bass line, sounds like something from the Paul Di'Anno era of Iron Maiden.

Moving forward to this year, the band had some lineup changes and a new lineup has regrouped around bassist Jon Leon. Not that original vocalist James Luna was lacking, but the band's new vocalist Wyatt "Screaming Demon" Anderson has a powerful set of lungs. Here is a live video/interview with the band's current lineup.

White Wizzard interview and performance at Paladino's


White Wizzard is playing around Los Angeles while working on tracks for a full-length disc that is tentatively scheduled for release later this year. Two songs from these new sessions are posted to the band's MySpace page. The band has also attracted some international attention as they have been tapped for next year's Keep It True Festival XIII in Germany where they will be playing alongside bands like Tygers of Pan Tang, Hades, and Candlemass.