Sarissa Masters of Sins
Black Lotus Records July 30th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
After a turbulent, ten-year hiatus, Sarissa return with Masters of Sins. In a nutshell, the album is a concoction of power and progressive metal with symphonic elements in place. Its not bad, but its not that great either.
Bleed (Till the End) begins as if its an introductory piece, but youll soon realize that its not. Very high vocalizations appear now and then, and the musical performances are sufficient for the genre. To These Powers (I Swear) is actually an impressive composition due in part to the powerful riffs, fine production, and sweeping keyboards. Iglezos can certainly hit a wide variety of notes, but his style often ventures into a range thats too high-pitched. Naturally, guitar leads can be unearthed from various points on the disc. The Ancient Land Falls is further testament that Sarissa have attractive, polished introductions to their songs. Envious Critics (wha?) is drab, as is Nemesis. Deathdance has a beautifully orchestrated beginning, which utilizes harps, melodic guitar, and strategically placed tom fills. Hypocrisy Crusade has an Eastern feel to it soon after, though, it becomes a very fast opus. There are ten songs on Masters of Sins, and more than a few are worth a glimpse.
Sarissa werent able to break ground with the aforementioned album, but its not as if thats the most important thing to consider. Some pieces are inviting, while others are outdated and consequently uninteresting. Masters of Sins should only be digested by hardcore fans of the power/progressive metal genres. All others most likely will find the band dull.
7/10
Official Black Lotus Records website
Black Lotus Records July 30th, 2004
By Jason Jordan
After a turbulent, ten-year hiatus, Sarissa return with Masters of Sins. In a nutshell, the album is a concoction of power and progressive metal with symphonic elements in place. Its not bad, but its not that great either.
Bleed (Till the End) begins as if its an introductory piece, but youll soon realize that its not. Very high vocalizations appear now and then, and the musical performances are sufficient for the genre. To These Powers (I Swear) is actually an impressive composition due in part to the powerful riffs, fine production, and sweeping keyboards. Iglezos can certainly hit a wide variety of notes, but his style often ventures into a range thats too high-pitched. Naturally, guitar leads can be unearthed from various points on the disc. The Ancient Land Falls is further testament that Sarissa have attractive, polished introductions to their songs. Envious Critics (wha?) is drab, as is Nemesis. Deathdance has a beautifully orchestrated beginning, which utilizes harps, melodic guitar, and strategically placed tom fills. Hypocrisy Crusade has an Eastern feel to it soon after, though, it becomes a very fast opus. There are ten songs on Masters of Sins, and more than a few are worth a glimpse.
Sarissa werent able to break ground with the aforementioned album, but its not as if thats the most important thing to consider. Some pieces are inviting, while others are outdated and consequently uninteresting. Masters of Sins should only be digested by hardcore fans of the power/progressive metal genres. All others most likely will find the band dull.
7/10
Official Black Lotus Records website
