Author: Jernej Vene
Artist: Sister Sin
Label: Metal Heaven
Release: 2008
Three strapping lads and an angry girl make up the Swedish standard-bearers of a new movement: street metal. Sales slogans have always worked like a drug on the masses. So what does this coinage actually mean? Basically a bare-bones rock instrumental trio and a hard, focused female voice. It’s a dirty mix of garage rock and unpolished eighties California metal straight off Sunset Boulevard. They make themselves heard with a vision that caught fire in their northern little hearts out of frustration with the state of Swedish rock. It brings energetic music, solidly played, produced by one of Sweden’s best masters, full of capable vocal lines and decent instrumental tricks. In the middle of the record the tension fades, because that’s where the songs that are pretty unconvincing at their core are bunched together. Sister Sin lean on the rich legacy of Motorhead, Motley Crue, Judas Priest, Scorpions, W.A.S.P. and Accept. Guitars slice, drums chop, bass rattles away in the underground, and Liv is angry as hell. Supposedly, back in 2002 when they burst onto the local scene in Gothenburg, they wowed crowds with incredible sharpness live. That sharpness is their greatest asset, and for the most part it pairs great with the precisely crafted, Nordic-style production. Liv could use a few hours of English (American?) pronunciation, especially given the rumors that they’re planning a breakthrough in the US. Switchblade Serenades is a record that has no need for gentle, tired listeners. You won’t find any ballads here to slow down the brutal tempo. The closest thing to one is the title track, a dark number in the style of Alice Cooper with a touch of H.I.M. It’s about lost love and the rage of a betrayed lover who’s capable of just about anything… in the end, though, common sense catches up with her…because tomorrow is a new day. Scandinavian metal has served up solid to excellent music many times over the past decade. Sister Sin will surely represent their homeland decently and honorably, since they’ve got a solid album in their bag. They don’t mourn a tidy upbringing; they devoted their young years to the fight for a place in the sun, one that would let them get their ideas across to like-minded people.
Lineup
Liv – vocals
Jimmy – guitar
Chris – bass guitar
Dave – drums
Production
Tobias Lindell
Track list
1. Beat The Street
2. Death Will Greet Us
3. One Out Of Ten
4. Breaking New Ground
5 On Parole
6. Make My Day
7. Hostile-Violent
8. Switchblade Serenade
9. Love/Hate
10. All Systems Go!
11. Eye To Eye
