Another album from Dutch heavy metal/hard rock veterans Vandenberg, and yet another line-up. Alongside guitar hero Adrian Vandenberg for the follow-up to 2020, we see much travelled vocalist Mats Leven taking over from Ronnie Romero, and on drums we have Koen Herfst, plus bassist Randy Van Der Elsen. Sin however follows a similar formula, the band taking more of a blues based slant on heavy metal, not all that uncommon with what Adrian's former boss David Coverdale has been doing with Whitesnake in more recent years. In fact, Leven doesn't sound all that much different from a younger Coverdale throughout much of Sin, his husky, throaty swagger infiltrating raunchy numbers like "House on Fire", "Light It Up", and "Walking on Water". Though opening track "Thunder and Lightning has a somewhat clunky and awkward chorus, it's still a heavy hitter here, and most of the songs on Sin work pretty well as far as delivering a fair share of hooks and guitar pyrotechnics from their leader. The title track has a "Forevermore" by way of "Kashmir" feel to it, and "Hit the Ground Running" could have easily slotted in nicely on Whitesnake's 1987 or Slip of the Tongue albums. Closer "Out of the Shadows" is a darker, mid-paced thumper with a lethal, grinding lick that's one of Adrian's best on the album, and Mats is singing up a storm.
I'll certainly agree with many who have cited that Sin sounds more like a Whitesnake album than, well, a Vandenberg album, but what's on display here scratches my itch for blistering, bluesy heavy rock, and in my book, that's not a bad thing.
Track Listing
1.
Thunder And Lightning 04:20
2.
House Of Sin 03:52
3.
Sin 06:56
4.
Light It Up 03:35
5.
Walking On Water 05:09
6.
Burning Skies 03:34
7.
Hit The Ground Running 03:41
8.
Baby You've Changed 04:05
9.
Out Of The Shadows 05:37
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