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

Sinner - Crash and Burn CD Review (Candlelight Records)

Mat Sinner & crew are back with Sinner's sixteenth studio release, Crash and Burn, which was released in the US by Candlelight Records a few week back.

For anyone not familiar with Sinner, the band plays melodic, guitar-driven 70's hard-rock. The closest points of comparison would be pre-disco 70's Kiss and Thin Lizzy. Bassist/vocalist Mat Sinner has a throaty rasp similar to Gene Simmons and the dual-lead guitars of Henny Wolter and Christof Leim give the band's music a pre-NWOBHM sound. The Thin Lizzy comparisons are strengthened by the band covering Lizzy's "Baby Please Don't Go" on their 2007 studio album Mask of Sanity and contributing a cover of "The Sun Goes Down" to a Phil Lynott tribute album. The song "Connection" (which is streaming on the band's MySpace profile) perfectly captures the spirit and sound of Thin Lizzy and could easily be mistaken for a Thin Lizzy cover or outtake.

Take a look at the video for the song "Revolution" and this will give you a good sense for the grittier, hard-rock side of the band.



Some of the strongest cuts from this disc are "Crash and Burn", "Heart of Darkness" and "Connection". All three of these cuts are streaming on Mat Sinner's MySpace profile.

Sinner is likely to be temporarily inactive as bassist/vocalist Mat and guitarist Henny are also in Primal Fear and the band is in the process of mixing and mastering their forthcoming disc 16.6.

All-in-all, Crash & Burn is a strong hard-rock album that should catch the ear of fans of 70's/early 80's rock. It would be nice to see the band do a US tour sometime in the near future.

Links:
Sinner's MySpace Profile