Bio
Sinner was formed back in 1980 in Stuttgart Baden-Württemberg by charismatic vocalist/ bassist Mathias Lasch a.k.a. Mat Sinner. Two years later the band debuted with their first full-length album – “Wild’N’Evil” – a feisty and energetic LP filled with raw sounds clearly inspired by the early works of Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest and Saxon. The next two albums – “Fast Decision” (1983) and “Danger Zone” (1984) – followed the same path, sharpening the band’s style. After several line-up changes the group released “Touch of Sin” (1985) with new guitarist Herman Frank (ex-Accept), who left soon after the recording was finished. Sinner’s fifth LP, “Comin’ Out Fighting”, was eventually released in 1986 with Mathias Dieth (ex-U.D.O.) on guitar. 1987 saw the release of yet another album – “Dangerous Charm” – which was much more melodic than the previous offerings. However, shortly after the LP hit the stores, the band decided to take a break and disappeared from the scene for five years…
First to come out of the artistic coma was Mat Sinner himself, who released his solo album called “Back to the Bullet” in 1990. Soon, with three musicians from the solo project, he decided to reactivate his original band and released Sinner’s first album in five years – “No More Alibis”. The LP was often referred to as the heaviest thing Sinner has ever recorded and instantly became a great success. The group’s songwriting skills have clearly improved, making the next two albums – “Respect” (1994) and “Bottom Line” (1995) – strong titles in Sinner’s discography. Since the reformation the band has been very successful – not only did they support such acts as Mr. Big and Savatage, they also managed to arrange their own headlining tour in Germany as well as release a live album in 1996, called “In the Line of Fire”.
But Sinner did not stop there. In 1997 the group recorded one of their best works – “Judgement Day”. The album is often called the starting point of the band’s “modern era”, with stylistic improvements reaching far beyond Sinner’s previous releases. Heavy and energetic, “Judgement Day” delivers all the goods a proper heavy metal production should – catchy melodies, strong groove, memorable riffs and a bit of old-school rock’n’roll feeling to boost. Needless to say that tracks such as “School of Hard Knocks”, “Used to the Truth”, “Streets of Sin” and “Deathwalker” are still fan favorites.
In 1998 Mat Sinner and ex-Gamma Ray vocalist Ralf Scheepers formed a new band together and called it Primal Fear. The group turned out to be a major worldwide success, gaining a loyal fan-base at an impressive rate. Nevertheless, Larsch’s original band was never shoved aside. On July 27th, 1998, Sinner released their 11th LP – “Nature of Evil”. The album developed the ideas from “Judgement Day”, adding even more variety and taking Sinner’s music to a higher level. Such outstanding songs like “Devil’s River” (dubbed the heaviest tune the band ever recorded), the Megadeth-sounding “Faith and Conviction” and “A Question of Honour” (with guest vocal performance by Ralf Scheepers) prove the band’s prime form. On top of that, Sinner managed to record their version of Thin Lizzy’s “The Sun Goes Down” – a brilliant interpretation of a timeless classic. All in all, “Nature of Evil” became Sinner’s most successful work to date, reaching number 63 on the German album charts. The success was followed by an European tour, where the band supported the legendary Deep Purple.
The year 2000 brought some drastic line-up changes, including the departure of long-time guitarist Tom Naumann (who also played in Primal Fear). The band went on to record their 12th opus “The End of Sanctuary”, which featured ex-Helloween and Gamma Ray drummer Uli Kusch. The album developed the group’s “Accept meets Running Wild” style and again served a solid dose of first class heavy metal. In 2002 Mat Sinner decided to reunite the 1995-99 line-up for their next LP. “There Will be Execution” was released on January 13th, 2003, instantly becoming one of the finest albums in the band’s discography. Terrific riffs, superb melodies and brilliant songwriting – all of these pieces fit together in this heavy metal work of art. With such tunes as the up tempo “Higher Level of Violence”, slower-paced “River” and the energetic title track, the group couldn’t go wrong – “There Will Be Execution” is truly an album worth knowing.
In the following years Mat Sinner focused on his other projects, recording albums with Primal Fear, Goddess Shiva and Tribuzy. Sinner was again brought back to life in 2007 with the LP “Mask of Sanity”, which featured another Thin Lizzy cover – “Baby Please Don’t Go”. Currently the band is still active and working on new electrifying material.
Sinner proudly stands as one of Germany’s most talented heavy metal bands of all time. With “Judgement Day”, “The Nature of Evil” and “There Will Be Execution” the band welcomed their most fruitful period and they’re well far from saying good-bye! Be sure not to miss out on this absolutely breathtaking metal experience!!