Sins of America Own Best Enemy
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
A new band calling themselves “Sins of America” certainly picked an apropos time in America’s history to highlight the nation’s sins. Those sins could be everything from multiple wars, to the government ignoring the victims of national catastrophes while the president eats birthday cake, to the current financial recession that is certain to become a depression … in other words, it gives them a lot of topic matter. That being said, Sins of America is a pop punk/pop metal band that plays apolitical, good time rock ‘n’ roll.
Unfortunately for Sins of America, this EP should have been released months ago. But they are learning that one of America’s sins is the music industry, an industry as dead-set on exploiting the talent it signs as it is on worshipping Mammon. So, Sins of America got out of their deal with the Devil and self-released their debut, Own Best Enemy.
You may know the lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Rob Wylde from the U.K. band Teenage Casket Company. Relocating to the States, Wylde hooked up with American rockers Shawn Vincent (drums, vocals), Evan Deane (bass, vocals) and Chris Kelley (lead guitar, vocals) to form Sins of America.
The title tracks starts the CD, with those gang chorus vocals of “whoa-oh whoa-oh, whoa-oh whoa-oh!” Wylde, who wrote all the songs on the EP, is like a poor man’s Butch Walker as a songwriter; everything he writes is instantly memorable, rife with massive hooks and undeniably catchy choruses, and you’ll hear both on “Own Best Enemy.” Although Wylde is the voice and main songwriter, Sins of America stands apart from Teenage Casket Company mainly because this is more of an American version of Hard Rock, with power chords and fierce guitar leads, and is basically more metallic overall.
“One More Shot,” co-written by Kelley and Wylde, is up next, and this is the kind of song that would drive the ladies crazy in a bar setting; it’s probable plenty of DD-cup brassieres find their way onto Wylde’s mic stand as he sings in a live setting, “Baby, you’ve gotta give it up to me! Sometimes it’s getting hard to breathe … being without you!” It will be interesting to hear what this songwriting combo can compose on a full-length release.
“She Said She Wouldn’t” is another heavy, chugging composition, with Kelly lacing into some serious leads while Wylde pulls the power chords. The strength of Sins of America is clearly the pop sensibility of the choruses. Everything they write sounds like a Top 40 hit, back when you could hear great bands on the radio. Just listen to the chorus once, “She said she wouldn’t go, said she couldn’t leave. Said she wouldn’t do the things she did to me. Said she wouldn’t lie, said she wouldn’t cry, said she wouldn’t hurt me deep inside.” In fact, you expect everything to go into a “nah nah nah nah nah,” and they don’t fail — they end the song with those syrupy nah nahs, and it’s perfect. Wylde even goes into a soft falsetto as the tempo changes during the “breakdown.” All in all, this is the best track on Own Best Enemy.
The song “Can’t Take It Back” is a bit of a different animal than the other songs. First off, it’s more complex, and instead of playfulness, it’s moody. The cool part is the Steve Clark/Def Leppard lead you’ll hear during the chorus. They go back to the whoa-ohs you heard early, and this kind of music works excessively well in an arena setting. Everything Sins of America writes is an anthem, and a good one at that.
The final track is the heaviest by far on the release, balls out grinding metal riffs and a scorching lead from Kelley. In some ways, it will remind of Poison’s “Look What the Cat Dragged In,” that band’s heaviest composition ever. Wylde sings with less polish and more attitude than he does on Teenage Casket Company’s recordings. While not quite as strong as the previous track, it does the job of showing how heavy Sins of America can be should they choose that route, and how versatile they are overall.
For a young band trying to make waves, EPs are often the best tool to build a fan base and hopefully create some label interest. Own Best Enemy should surely do both for the band. Wylde’s penchant for writing pop metal hits doesn’t hurt, either. If the band doesn’t break and break big, you can add that to another in the long line of sins America has been guilty of lately …
Label: Independent
Track Listing:
Own Best Enemy
One More Shot
She Said She Wouldn’t
Can’t Take It Back
Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You
Hardrock Haven rating: NA