Sin Story
Paths Of Civilization

THE REVIEW

"Paths Of Civilization" represents the debut album of the Slovenian band Sin Story, and was released in the early months of 2010 by the American label Cherry Lips Records. The four guys from Koper, produced by Gabriel Ogrin (Siddharta, Sank Rock), bring to life a high-quality energetic and melodic rock in the vein of bands like 30 Seconds To Mars, My Chemical Romance, and Lost Prophets.

Preceded by the single "Not This Time", the album reaches its peak in the second single "Downfall" where power, rock energy, and well-crafted vocal melodies reveal the band's full potential. Unfortunately, however, the album is not equally easy to listen to, not due to the complexity of the songs, but primarily because of its excessive length and lack of homogeneity in the arrangements. Indeed, the album frequently jumps from intense modern hard rock to saccharine pop, without giving the whole a sense of sonic stability. In short, what seems to be lacking is a preproduction that could give the band a musical identity.  

The most evident flaw, however, lies in the not always convincing performances of the two vocalists - not supported by Ogrin’s work in less than perfect form - and in the writing of the lyrics which, at several points, seem a bit forced, both in terms of musicality and metrics. Tracks like "Back To My Life", "Is It Just Me", and "Chances Gone" had all the potential to be real gems but instead fall flat due to some decidedly excessive compositional quirks.

That said, it should not be forgotten that "Paths Of Civilization" is still a debut album and, seen from this perspective, the potential of the Julian band cannot be denied. At this point, we can only wait for the new chapter from the Slovenian quartet, hoping that more recording studio experience and greater awareness of the importance of attention to detail will allow them to make the definitive leap in quality.