SINNER

So this is the end, my friend. After 45 years of hard rock evangelism, Mat Sinner is closing the book on the band that first established him as a major force in European metal. SINNER are calling it quits, but only after releasing a 21st full-length studio album that boasts an impressive, all-star cast and, arguably, the best production of their career. Far more than just a solo project for the man also known as the driving force behind PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER have been dedicated guardians of the traditional rock realm throughout their career, and "Boom Bang Goodbye" sees no reason to mess with the formula that has been so successful, not just in Germany but also throughout the world, at least amongst people who don't particularly want their heavy rock music to be diluted by external influences. Mat Sinner has been ruthless, both as a musician and as a songwriter, and while not every SINNER album has hit the mark, the band's best work is typified by that uncompromising approach to rocking people into the middle of next week.

This time around, Mat Sinner has delegated the role of vocalist to a crack team of esteemed singers, all of whom clearly got the correct memos and who launch themselves into SINNER's world with unbridled conviction. Anyone expecting this band to suddenly veer off into progressive indulgence or EDM-laced poly-metal is going to be hugely disappointed, and that is entirely to the benefit of everyone else. "Boom Bang Goodbye" isn't an album that will alter anyone's perception of what Mat Sinner does, but that has never been the point of the exercise. With short, sharp and snappy songs, with a beginning, middle and end, and almost always with a big, bright-eyed and melodic chorus to get your teeth into, this is a 21st demonstration of the German's unwavering talent, albeit with a little help from his friends.

There is little room for in-depth analysis here. "Boom Bang Goodbye" is so straightforward and unpretentious that it defies any desire to find some off-kilter angle via which to assess its contents. Everything from the opening "Dreams Can Come True" (sung by ELECTRIC MOB vocalist Renan Zonta) onwards is delivered with such crisp and clean intent that any level of critical cynicism is entirely redundant. You either love this kind of heroic, celebratory hard rock, or you don't. And if you do, SINNER are one of the greatest bands ever to do it. The blissfully radio-friendly "Wait" is one of several examples of Mat Sinner's skills as a composer of ferocious hooks and AOR-like sonic neatness, with a gritty, soulful vocal from former JADED HEART frontman Michael Bormann, and a euphoric chorus that sounds like some colossal chart hit from the mid-'80s reimagined with contemporary production values. Likewise, "Leave It All Behind", one of three songs sung by the hardest-working man in hard rock, RONNIE ROMERO, is a gently simmering, mid-tempo ballad that would have given BON JOVI and DEF LEPPARD a run for their money 40 years ago. Elsewhere, "Are You Ready" delivers the album's most satisfying meeting of minds, with SOILWORK's Bjorn "Speed" Strid doing his effortless, smooth-as-silk thing over endearingly familiar chord sequences, amid a general air of pristine radio-rock sincerity; and the closing "Power" gives PRIMAL FEAR guitarist (and all-round melodic metal polymath) Magnus Karlsson a chance to shine, on a song that is as heavy and grandiose as any in SINNER's extensive repertoire, but that is also absurdly catchy and beautifully arranged to ensure that every musician involved is given space to flex those virtuoso muscles.

It should probably be left to diehard SINNER fans to work out where "Bang Boom Goodbye" sits in the list of the band's greatest albums, but there is no denying that Mat Sinner has reached the end of this particular road with all of his creative faculties in peak condition. A fresh and vital collection of timeless hard rock songs, with the added bonus of multiple voices singing the German's melodies, this is, at the very least, one of the finest records to bear the SINNER name in a long time. If this really is the end, it is a more than worthy way to bow out. Plus, we still have PRIMAL FEAR. Everyone's a winner.