Boasting more of a classic Heavy Metal sound than Primal Fear (less aggressive & heavy, more hooks), the songs on Crash & Burn make for a balanced, enjoyable listen. The title tracks kicks things off with a strong, energetic riff that reminds me of Dokken’s more aggressive material. The guitars on the album, courtesy of Henny Wolter and Christof Leim, are ferociously melodic in both the riffs and the solos…great vibrato. Vocally, Mat sports a lower-mid range, gravelly yet still very much sung delivery. The harmonies are raw and not overdone. “The Dog” is a good head-banging tune with a classic Hard Rock edge. “Heart Of Darkness” has a nice, Gary Moore-ish theme lead underscoring a strong song. And as long as we’re mentioning Gary Moore, one cannot ignore the Thin Lizzy worship of “Connection” from the fun, harmonized guitars to the vocal phrasing. Things get cranking on “Fist To Face” with a fast tempo and blistering guitar. There’s also a nice curve ball in the form of a cover of Marvelous 3’s “Little Head”.

There is certainly nothing new under the sun, my friends. But, there’s also nothing in the world wrong with upholding the tradition of classic Hard Rock and Heavy Metal the way Sinner does. Crash & Burn is a strong collection of songs that’ll inspire volume cranking, windows-down driving in the Summer and plenty of good times. I say pick it up.