SINNER’S BLOOD – The Mirror Star

SINNER’S BLOOD – The Mirror Star

I was quite looking forward to receiving and reviewing this record by the Chilean melodic (power) metal outfit known as Sinner’s Blood. As it turns out it is a decent and half-way entertaining albeit unremarkable listen. These guys are clearly skilled musicians and this eleven-track offering oozes power and professionalism with respect to the production and presentation. The whole affair has a current sheen to it, but the compositions themselves are generally just mildly interesting rather than great or truly mind-blowing. There are galloping riffs, pounding drums, majestic keyboards, and bombast in spades here, and it certainly comes across as pretty fucking massive-sounding and punchy in places, but still; the LP lacks a bit of spark, feeling, and invention. The frustrating thing is that it generally comes across as a little too stiff and uneventful in places.

There is no denying the fact that James Robledo is an exceptionally talented vocalist and that these guys can play, but despite Sinner’s Blood being a competent bunch with plenty of cool musical ideas, “The Mirror Star” is simply not as memorable or captivating as it could have been. Having said that, there are bags of potential to what this hard-hitting ensemble does, so I am very much looking forward to seeing and what the future holds for the group and how the sophomore record will turn out. If you cherish modern power metal and desire to check out their most memorable tunes, make sure you give “Who I Am”, “Never Again”, and “The Hunting” a listen.