Sideburn (SWE) - Evil or Divine
Metalville
Hard Rock
7 songs (44'56'')
Release year: 2015
Metalville
Reviewed by Jared

Sometimes when it comes to listening to metal at a never ending rate, it’s good to loosen the shackles and dive into more rock based bands now and then. Hailing from Sweden, Sideburn came at the perfect time. They are a classic sounding hard rock band, with already four full-length albums under their belt. With that amount of records already from the band it was more than needed to give them a much desired spin. Between the fist pumping riffs and solid vocals, Evil and Divine turned out to be very good rock album to explore.

Things begin slowly with a heavy chug that opens up the album with Masters and Slaves. Vocals start off with an underwater trance feel, but then opens up to deliver a great classic rock feel. The succeeding track Sea of Sins keeps a medium tempo and this time incorporating more variation than just a simple palm muted chug. Catchy as it is heavy, Sea of Sins really drives the album into a solid direction. When Darkness Calls brings the mood down to a bluesy one, but still is sure to emit a big slam of rock before it’s all said and done.

The heaviest song on the album is no doubt The Seer (Angel of Death). It doesn’t take long for the psychedelic sounding beginning to turn into a track filled with fist pumping rock glory. The Day the Sun Died revisits the gentler side again, but this time sounding much fuller in sound. The catchy clean guitars (still emitting a bluesy tone) play a great role between the heavier moments. Evil Ways is the more energetic song of the lot, still hammering down the hefty riffs, and one hell of a rock-hard solo.

Evil and Divine ends on a high note with Presence, bringing out the big guns with their hardened rock style riffing, this time harmonizing a bit to create a much bigger sound, but also pulling together a lot of the great elements found on the album all in one. It is a surprisingly great listen, which has prompted me to explore what offerings they have laid to the table in the past. Hard rockers will find much to enjoy with Sideburn, from the heavy riffs, bluesy tone, and classic sound, there is a lot to like.

Killing Songs :
Sea of Sins, When Darkness Calls, The Seer (Angel of Death), The Day the Sun Died, Presence
Jared quoted 80 / 100
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