Sinners and Saints

The Sky Is Falling (Bridge Nine)
by Morgan Coe

Former members of Blood For Blood, The Ducky Boys, Ten Yard Fight, and In My Eyes make a puzzling move towards arena rock. As their rock’n’roll press release explains, our boys see themselves in the tradition of gritty, working class heroes like Social Distortion, Guns N’ Roses, Bruce Springsteen, etc. Unfortunately, their harmonized vocals, vapid lyrics, smooth production, eager-to-please songwriting, and inability to cut loose and really “rock out” give their posturing the lie – Sinners & Saints‘ real influences are the squeaky-clean boardroom rockers of the ’80s: Foreigner, Survivor, Night Ranger, David Hasselhoff, and (maybe) Journey.

All kidding aside, if you’ve worn out your copy of Born in the USA or just need something stronger, you need to try Supersuckers’ Evil Powers of Rock’n’Roll, Turbonegro’s Never Is Forever and Ass Cobra, or The Dictators’ Go Girl Crazy. The Sky Is Falling, on the other hand, is a disappointment: Not because Sinners & Saints have decided to “move on” from the music of their youth, but because they didn’t bring any of its positive elements with them. There’s nothing wrong with growing up and moving “beyond” playing straight-up hardcore, but it seems a shame to lose its passion, its anger, and its energy in the process.
(PO Box 990052 Boston, MA 02199)