Sinbreed - Master Creator
AFM Records
Power Metal
10 songs (45' 0")
Release year: 2016
AFM Records
Reviewed by Andy

Sinbreed's got another album out the door, and despite the exit of Blind Guardian guitarist Marcus Siepan due to touring obligations, this new LP, Master Creator, sounds stronger to me than Shadows did. Like its predecessor, it delivers a solid, fast power metal experience with some grittiness to it, but the hooks are better and it has more of the triumphant choruses that vocalist Herbie Langhans's previous group, Seventh Avenue, was so good at writing.

As one might expect, Flo Laurin's guitars are the most noticeable in the mix, with the quick-chugging speed riffs German power metal is known for, but the drumming, courtesy of Frederik Ehmke, is also nicely miked, so you can hear the complexity of the fills beautifully here. The melodies on the fast songs, which I criticized in Shadows for being rather lackluster, are more interesting. And it isn't guitar-only like the last one was -- the band promised us some more instruments to mix things up a bit, and delivered the goods in the form of piano for At the Gate, a power ballad of the sort that Langhans always performs solidly on (though it could use a few screams), and even some very synthetic-sounding bagpipes for the gratuitous but enjoyable final track. Even rather anonymous mid-tempo tracks like Last Survivor produce a much solider chorus this time around with plenty of heaviness to enjoy.

Where the songs shine, though, is when the band plays to its members' strengths, which means major-key melodies, harmonized guitars, and thousand-man choruses. The title track nails this; the verse isn't particularly memorable, but the chorus fits so seamlessly with the perfect balance of grittiness and heroic strength Langhans can put into his voice that the listener can almost envision the ride into the sunset. The Voice edges out Master Creator for the position of my favorite track on the album, though. It just sounds bigger, more jagged, and heavier than anything else on here, and it has a killer chorus melody with the double-kick drums thundering underneath to give it more emphasis.

Overall, Master Creator is an improvement that keeps the well-loved elements of the band's sound while providing some better melodies and stronger songwriting, making this one a good pick to listen to by the discerning power metal fan for at least a few spins.

Killing Songs :
Master Creator, The Voice
Andy quoted 83 / 100
Other albums by Sinbreed that we have reviewed:
Sinbreed - Shadows reviewed by Andy and quoted 79 / 100
Sinbreed - When Worlds Collide reviewed by Kyle and quoted 90 / 100
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