Former Bullet For My Valentine drummer’s new band struggle to illuminate on debut
A voiceover precedes The Sinner’s opening track, Shed My Skin, featuring a serviceable approximation of Winston Churchill’s slurred voice and galvanising rhetoric, as Kill The Lights signal their intent – ‘We will rise from the ashes and burn you to the ground’. It sounds familiar, known, but there's something not quite there about what you're actually hearing. It, unfortunately, says a lot about The Sinner as a whole.
Putting a modern spin on classic formulas is nothing new to ex-Bullet For My Valentine drummer Michael “Moose” Thomas. Equally, former Throw The Fight frontman James Clark has provided vocals for many an epic track – just like Jordan Whelen and Travis Montgomery have played on many a pummelling one as guitarists for metalcore outfits Still Remains and Threat Signal, respectively. With all the best will in the world, the pedigree of this collective isn’t enough to send anticipation levels into fever pitch, but that’s not the disappointment here. That's in the musical vision of the band’s members not being diverse enough to deliver anything you haven't heard before.
That’s not to say The Sinner lacks distractions. The Faceless will hook anyone who’s ever had their pulse quickened by Motörhead or flexed their fingers air-guitaring to Iron Maiden, while The Enemy will appeal to fans of Moose’s previous band. But while BFMV is a musical nod few will be surprised to hear, it’s disheartening that the likes of Open Your Eyes and Sober are derivative of acts drawing from the same well of classic metal with the odd breakdown.
In the build up to The Sinner’s release, Kill The Lights discussed their desire to make an album that incorporated throwback elements with a fresh sound. Unfortunately, though the band clearly know how to shred out a functional metal track, the throwbacks are abundantly clear, but the fresh components appear to have staled before delivery.
Verdict: 2/5
For Fans Of: Bullet For My Valentine, Avenged Sevenfold, Iron Maiden
Sinner is out on August 21 via Fearless Records.
