The press materials for Sweden's Sister Sin declare that the members of this quartet "arose from the gutters of Gothenburg" and took the band's name "because it represented their bound to absolutely nothing lifestyles." In this case, at least, there's truth in advertising, as Switchblade Serenade sounds exactly as you can probably imagine: Raw, loud and sleazy hair-metal anthems laced with fuck-it attitude and inspiration ripped from the glory years of Skid Row and Motley Crue. In fact, female vocalist Liv could easily fill in for Sebastian Bach, Vince Neil or even Blackie Lawless, if needed.
First single, "On Parole," would have gone Top 10 on the pop charts back in 1988. Today, it's buried midway through an album that sounds surprisingly refreshing. Not only is Liv a gem of a vocalist who suits this style perfectly, she's backed by a competent band that's not afraid to make some noise — mainstream be damned. This is potent stuff, from balls-out rockers like "Hostile-Violent," "Eye to Eye" and "Beat the Street" to more melodic headbangers like "One Out of Ten," "Death Will Greet Us" and "All Systems Go!" No ballads here, wussies!
Sister Sin ups the nostalgia factor by including the crackle of vinyl at the beginning and end of the disc, as if you just dropped the needle and let it spin after the music stopped. Cool effect for such a retro record.
Track Listing:
1) Beat the Street
2) Death Will Greet Us
3) One Out of Ten
4) Breaking New Ground
5) On Parole
6) Make My Day
7) Hostile-Violent
8) Switchblade Serenade
9) Love/Hate
10) All Systems Go!
11) Eye to Eye
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