Review Summary: A promising, but at times unremarkable alternative/nu-metal album that has bursts of creativity and strong songwriting.
Sinch’s eponymous major label debut arrived via Roadrunner records when Roadrunner was a mainstream go-to in hard rock and nu-metal. Looking back on some of their high-profile releases of 2002: Slipknot relative Stone Sour’s self-titled debut, Killswitch Engage’s
Alive or Just Breathing, and Theory of a Deadman’s also-self-titled debut, it’s not surprising that an unknown from rural Pennsylvania ended up getting the short end of the stick in exposure and success. The strength and weakness (in the commercial sense) of
Sinch is that it rewards the listener for engaging beyond a superficial radio-single level.
While “Something More” was a mild alternative-rock hit, the appeal of this album is not a by-the-book mainstay. The band’s use of progressive, industrial, and electronic elements paired with the range of vocalist Jamie Stern offers substantive depth while many of their peers offered little. The willingness to experiment with song structure, instrumentation, and vocal production is what makes
Sinch worth revisiting.
The opening salvo of tunes is what can be imagined as the major label influence- and would do a lot to sell this album short on their own. Starting with the fifth track, “Passive Resistor”, the band pivots between chaos and calm, blending aggressive passion and subtle apathy. In “Passive Resistor”, Stern is liable to explode at any moment- delivering “Tear to pieces everything you've ever known about this world” in delightful derangement. The band follows with an immediate counter-point “Arctic Ocean”; a piece driven by a drum machine beat and acoustic guitar layered with effects.
The album’s centerpiece- 9 minute colossus “The Silent Acquiescence of Millions” takes these dynamics to the next level. The track snowballs in intensity to its finale, exhaling: “Don’t you want to feel something?” in a desperate call from Stern. Other tracks like “Plasma” are as affecting as they are apathetic- Stern’s rarely inflected delivery trailing off in the distance leaving the listener in the same desolation.
When
Sinch gives these songs room to breathe, the results are memorable and compelling. However, the record is on the fence on pushing the envelope as a whole. The pressure to succeed in a competitive market may have pushed tracks like the electronic-rock hybrid (and highlight) “Bitmap” further back in the track list and the identity of the band. It would be unfair to call this album a wasted opportunity, as the band manages to hit considerable highs throughout the latter half of the album. Destined to remain a diamond in the rough; this promising, but at times unremarkable album is likely to be treasured by a few and forgotten by many.
