Review Summary: Drowning Pool have managed to put a good foot in front for the Nu-Metal scene with their first album Sinner. Full of unique riffs, great screams and amazing melodies.
The oxford dictionary defines a “Sin” as: an immoral act considered to violate divine law. This ties in with the general lyrical content of the entire album from
Drowning Pool. The title track’s lyrics talk about being easily seen as a sinner in the public eye. Dave the singer talks of being molded by society into a reject and being looked down at. The track
Mute is about being feeling unworthy of a certain someone, which is feeling like you have sinned, thus tying in with the album title.
On the musical side, I feel this album is very complex and original; especially considering it was
Drowning Pool’s first album. Many bands have started fairly generic and have gained their originality through experience but I feel this album is a new sound to the Nu-Metal scene. Songs like
Bodies and
Reminded show many unique guitar styles by C.J. Pierce. He uses a lot of the wa-wa peddle for his riffs and at the start of
Reminded uses some effect that wavers the sound. As for the bass, its fairly non-existent which is happening a lot nowadays with bands. It really just adds to the drums and doesn’t stand out or do any solo performances except the rare alone riff such as the beginning of
Mute. The drums play a good role in this band’s sound but yet again, don’t stand out. If you’re looking for an album with wicked drumming like
Dream Theater or
Slipknot, look elsewhere. This album concentrates mainly on guitar and singing.
Dave’s singing is one of my favorites (may he rest in peace). On songs such as
Bodies and
Told You So, he shows his ability to scream at a great level. He has a unique scream that could be one of
Drowning Pool’s defining aspects. But don’t let that fool you into thinking that’s all he can do. He can sing beautifully, as shown on
Sinner,
Tear Away,
Mute and
Follow.
Now, for the fans of guitar solos don’t worry. There are enough solos to keep you listening throughout this album but at the same time, isn’t too much. Many bands today are soloing too much or inappropriately like
Trivum. C.J manages to balance out his soloing throughout this album very evenly. His style isn’t to shred the hell out of the guitar, but to add emotion to the song or, to put it another way, put a little bit of icing to a delicious cake. He solo’s on songs like
Tear Away,
Pity and
Told You So.
Pros
Unique Guitar
Lyrics are strong and meaningful
Melodies and solos are seen the right amount of times
Cons
Basically inaudible bass guitar
No standout drumming
May be a little repetitive at times
Recommended Tracks
Sinner
Bodies
Mute
Told You So
Overall, I think fans of
Disturbed and
System of a Down may find this album very good. A very unique sound that is seen rarely in first releases of bands. My rating is a strong
4 out of 5.
