CD Info
2010
Massacre Records / Germany
10  Tracks
English Lyrics

The sound is a rather metalized version of more traditional industrial, think Rammstein with Anneke van Giersbergen doing the female lead. Or, better yet, let’s think KMFDM with that Professional Killer, the luscious Lucia Cifarelli, that damn sure works for me. Oh, and there are some male vocals that crop up on occasion. Anyway, Sin7SinS’ only been around for a short while, this is their first big release, but they caught the eye of Massacre Records and signed a contract, always a step in the right direction for a band that wants to go big time. And they appear to have the talent to make that happen. They’ve worked with some of the bigger names out of the Dutch stables, including spending time on the road with the Jagermeister Tour in 2008 and a more recent romp with Epica.

Topics addressed in the band’s songs include all your favorite categories: sex, drugs, religion and politics. This is one of the new videos, and is representative of the group’s approach in a visual sense. It also gives some idea of the power of Lotus’ vocals, and the direction, musically, of the band. But let’s be up front, this music gets positive reviews from some, and less positive reviews from others. In my case, it’s not my favorite musical style, I generally prefer a little more intellectually stimulating message, but the music, well, there’s little to complain about in that arena. And, even in the case of the message, a little variety in style shouldn’t always be viewed negatively. But this is a message that is different, and one that is delivered with a different vocabulary. We’re not talking Therion here, this doesn’t come from the ancient books, from the Left Hand Path.

Sin7SinS is all about attitude. I’m not sure how that relates to the categories associated with the band, probably not industrial anyway, and probably not nu-metal, whatever that is. They have a lot to say, and tend to say it in a kinda "in your face" way, with a vocabulary that is certainly not mainstream for music we typically associate with female metal, at least not the majority of it. But, the approach, musically, doesn’t deviate all that far from the styles we are generally comfortable with. There are certainly some strong drum lines, the guitars are as good as anyone, the vocals more than adequate if less than brilliant. And they use some highly appropriate synthetic components, programmed, of course, to set off several of the tracks. The song writing is pretty good across each track, production shows no fault, you can really appreciate the work, as long as you’re not thrown to the ground with the message and the vocabulary. But, that’s what "in your face" is all about. So, if you got a problem, stick with Epica.

The work begins with Crossroad 666. And right away, we get that dichotomous perspective on the music. I mean the Crossroad is OK, but that 666 starts reflecting all that Devil Worship stuff that ultra right wing conservative America is so paranoid about and I really get tired of that. But, once you get past that, the song is pretty good, interesting instrumental components, pretty good vocals, a solid song from any perspective. Lyricist Gen Morphine tells me the song is actually about choices he’s had to face in his life, and the negative influences he’s had to deal with along that road. Lotus tells us:

So cold, I shiver
Your touch
Point the gun at me
Bang bang, I quiver
Shot down
You brought me to my knees

OK, right, I get it, no problem with these lyrics. Well, I didn’t say they all sounded harsh. But, to prove my point, and this gets into a focus of the CD, there’s a healthy focus on sexuality. And you know, "There’s no sex in Gothic". So I guess we can rapidly regress from any attempt to label the work as

Gothic. Exhibit number one for the prosecution here with this argument is Sexual Predator, which is one of the better sounding cuts on the CD, nice introduction, a pounding rocker, stronger than usual vocals. But what we get here runs something like this:

High heels short skirt
She’s got a mind full of dirt
She wants a mouthful of you and yours
Daydreaming of intercourse

Trust me, it gets more interesting, but you get the point. I doubt I’ll be sending a copy to my granddaughter, even if she is a Lady Gaga fan. Well, you have to explore the entire universe of music, and this does capture one facet of that universe. The band says it’s a broad interpretation of a certain type of personality and I think we all know the type, hopefully, not on a personal level but whatever.

Interestingly enough, the band does a killer ballad. Between Broken Dreams gives our vocalist a chance to shine, this is her stronger hand by FAR. Solid orchestration done with samples support a truly beautiful song, emotional and even showcasing a Spanish like guitar to add a flair to the melody. And most interestingly of all, the lyrics are nearly as beautiful as the song, not a regular occurrence here by any means:

No dawn for lovers
No regrets
Set out to reach
Walk through the darkness
And leave me hanging
between broken dreams

Well, if nothing else, this shows the ability to expand and move into different territory, this song is about as good as it gets, instrumentally, vocally, and in terms of production. Solid in every way.

To put it mildly, there is a "raunchy" feel to much of the music on Perversion LTD. Maybe that’s why they didn’t call it Pretty LoveSongs LTD. Some people are going to be comfortable with that direction, others may not. But, either way, it’s a music worthy of consideration. One thing’s for sure, you won’t find it boring, and that should count for something. Perversion indeed.

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