For those that loved Gothenburg’s Sister Sin who produced six cracking albums between 2002 and their split in 2015 a new album by vocalist Liv Jagrell under the moniker Liv Sin is bound to cause a flood of excitement. Well ‘Burning Sermons’ which drops on Despotz records on 6th September is certainly worth the wait combining the band’s love of both traditional, hard hitting hard rock and modern metal. It’s a bruising second coming that more than delivers on a promise to “rip your face off.”
Produced by Emil Nödtveidt (Deathstars) in Black Syndicate Studio ‘Burning Sermons’ sounds great and is, to these ears, a step up from the rather fine debut ‘Follow Me.’ It might be a cliche but here the collective sound like a band nd the songwriting has come long noticeably with melodies richer and the sound even more aggressive. It’s a sound that perfectly showcases Liv’s formidable vocals.
Listen to the single ‘Slave to the Machine’ which really sums up the feel of the record, or the classic Metal of ‘Chapter of the Witch’ or maybe even this albums ‘guest duet’ with Björn ‘Speed’ Strid (Soilwork/The Nightflight Orchestra) who really brings the orchestral ‘Hope Begins to Fade’ to life with his dirty ad clean vocal. And that is just for starters.
Elsewhere opener ‘Blood Moon Fever’ is an interesting one – it’s a song that includes melody and a brooding, simmering rage that at first seem at odds with that melody but the more you play it the ore you are convinced it works. Others here are more straightforward propositions like the headbanging majesty of ‘Chapter of the Witch’ or the almost Trivium-like patterns of ‘At the Gates of the Abyss’ which adds some real class. Icould go on as there are no duds here. If you’re a fan of the first album or just some good old Metal with plenty of punch and melody? You’ll love this.