Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Pyn Siren - Slave To Your Master 2003 Kivel Records reviewed by: EC

Track Listing1. Cry Me A River 2. Die 3. Saigon 4. H.L.J. 5. Higher 6. Sister Whiskey 7. Confused 8. Dance For Your Lover 9. Slave To Your Master 10. Lil By Lil (bonus track)

I've been anxiously awaiting this release for about a year now. Kivel Records has been talking about Pyn Siren on their website for months, heaping praise and glory for this debut album. I had the opportunity to hear the first single from this record on the same day that I heard the new Skid Row song, "Thick As Skin". Judging from the songs, Pyn Siren sounded more like Skid Row than Skid Row themselves. Very odd.

Well I've had this disc in my possession for the last couple of weeks and I really enjoy it. It's not the "savior" of hard rock, which I had high expectations for, but its damn good in its own regard.

The album's single, "Cry Me A River", starts off in ballbuster fashion, very much like "Slave To The Grind" era Skid Row. Vocalist Danny Mariano is very Bach-like here, letting out cat-scratch screams over pummeling hard edged blues riffage. One would think Sven Gali, Spread Eagle, and even Dangerous Toys at times.

The record pretty much keeps it all on the same page, staying with the same 'tude and vibe from the first song. Pyn Siren has that very important factor going for them - Attitude! Just check out cuts like Saigon, Confused, and H.L.J (Hung Like Jesus). My favorite track is a fast paced bullet entitled "Higher", but for whatever reason this one has demo production values behind it, sounding lost in the mix.

Pyn Siren isn't necessarily glam, nor does it really have the melody of European hard rock. It doesn't sound like Victory, Pink Cream 69, or Crystal Ball really. Much more a throwback to late 80s/early 90s American hard rock. Plenty of heavy riffs to satisfy metal heads, and a good dose of sleaze to benefit the Guns N Roses/Poison fans out there.

Overall I'm quite pleased with this debut and look forward to the follow-up. I'm really curious to see how Skid Row's new record will compare to this. I honestly don't see the 'Row putting out a better record than this. Pyn Siren has youth on their side. They are young, refreshed, and anxious to create a buzz this year. Too bad this won't be on store shelves, or even played on the radio. I think it would be a good step in the right direction for commercial radio. Maybe we will get lucky and some record exec will latch onto it. It happened for Beautiful Creatures, at least for one record.


--EC 08.0503