adg211288
Attacker are rightly considered to be one of the key acts of the US Power Metal sound and scene, but despite that they haven't actually made all that many full-length albums due to being split up between 1989 and 2001. Sins of the World (2016) is their sixth full-length album and the second to feature the voice of vocalist Bobby "Leather Lungs" Lucas after Giants of Canaan (2013), who replaced, not counting a couple of vocalists who never recorded with the band, original vocalist Bob Mitchell. At this point the only original member of the band is drummer Mike Sabatini.
Sins of the World is a pretty easy album to describe: it's full-on USPM delivered with a fire and energy not unlike what the band did on their classic second album The Second Coming (1988). That means it's a record full of high octane fast paced blue-collar USPM tracks that rarely relents once it gets going (By the Will of Crom is an acoustic track that serves as an intro to the final track, Where the Serpent Lies but that's literally the only breather) until it's conclusion forty-five minutes later. Gritty riffs that can be semi-thrashy with powerful vocals from Bobby Lucas, who is certainly at home singing such material, produce an album that is certainly a massive step up from the prior Giants of Canaan and it's more mixed heavy/USPM sound.
There's little variation to be found here, but there isn't meant to be with an album like this. It's fast paced metal music designed to hit hard and Sins of the World does just that. The tracks may seem to blend together a bit at first but subsequent listens reveal the smaller details that give each track its identity, such as the strong presence of melody in Carcosa that brings Attacker's sound that bit closer to the European power metal style. Early standouts to my ears were World Destroyer and Archangel but I don't consider this album to have any downer moments. It's a very consistent release in both style and quality.
Attacker may not have been the most productive band and may not have had a stable line-up, but they've proved time and time again that they can make a strong USPM record. Sins of the World is Attacker at their arse-kicking best.