EP: “Da Vinci’s Demise” by Saint [The]Sinner

Once in a while, a band forms in the small town of Bournemouth that really excites me. This time round its electronic metalcore locals, Saint[The]Sinner, a band who clearly must be amazing as they have square brackets in their band name. But in all seriousness, after hearing their first track they put online, in the form of ‘Yeah…Even The Mona Lisa is Falling’. I was very interested in hearing what this band has to offer in the long term. The track was a bit rough around the edges at times, but the brutal offerings didn’t disappoint, and for a first track, it was one hell of an effort.

Hardcore followers of the six piece will know that they comprise of former band members of Bournemouth based outfits, and after the band found themselves with six hundred and forty eight Facebook likes before even releasing this EP, it’s clear that they’re hardly lacking in popularity.

Onto the EP! “Da Vinci’s Demise” doesn’t waste time introducing what this band all about with opener, “Forgive and Forget” which provides a haunting intro to smash into massive screaming vocals and heavy guitar riffs. This flows straight into ‘Jokers Grin’ which continues to exhibit the perfectly executed combination of the clean vocals of Chris Brough and the screams of Dimitri Gjiknuri, creating the metalcore sound they will have been aching to achieve and at times, this EP sounds like a heavier take on We Are The Ocean’s old material. I also have to mention how the EP flows from one track to the next with absolute fluidity and there’s no doubt that this is a professional sounding recording, especially for the bands first effort.

There’s a fair amount of backing track material in this record, but this doesn’t mean they have over produced, it means their sound is very fulfilling with the occasional essence of dub step helping boost the electronic elements of their sound. This is notable in “7000 miles” and “Struggle Within”, but it has to be the new recording of “Yeah…Even The Mona Lisa is Falling” that steals the show for me. With a few tweaks, this track is unleashed with full wrath and mocks the older version. There’s aggression and passion as the latter of the track fuses strings and their thundering metal sound to sweep this EP through into a subtle ending of repeated guitar picking.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, but Saint[The]Sinner are onto something here. This band has something to offer on many levels and could be huge if they assert themselves in the right places. I suggest touring relentlessly and getting out of Bournemouth. It’s nice to have mates and the occasional gigs here, but if this band wants to make it, they need to find the scene which suits them best.

Download the EP for free on their facebook page…
http://www.facebook.com/SaintTheSinnerOfficial

Words by George Fullerton.