Matt Brew - 5/18/2012

Sinners Never Sleep- CD Review

Sinners never sleep is the third album from the wildly popular English rock band: You Me At Six. Released on the 3rd of October 2011 and in my opinion is there best to date. With a grittier darker feel than their previous albums the songs are catchy and feature some exciting guest stars such as Oli Sykes from the rock group "Bring Me The Horizon" & indeed the lead singer Josh Franceschi said the inspiration for the song featuring Oli was the possible break-up of You Me At Six. The album is full of passion with a variety of instruments & vocals which show off the group's skills & is well worth a listen; whether your a fan or not.

The first single on the allbum is "Loverboy" chornicling a "stud" of sorts who sleeps around expertly captures the passion and the grime of such a lifestyle all within three minutes. "When we were younger" is a much slower song encompassing pain & regret with Josh showcasing excellent vocals with a chilling bass accompaniment. As well as these the album holds several great tracks, "bite my tongue" a furious passion filled vocal epic, "The Dilemma" showcasing a catchy staccato style and the use of vocal dsitortion effects.

There is clear variety in the album which has been structured well: the first song Loverboy showcases their rock skills followed "Bite Your Tongue" which was a light heavy metal and then "No One Does It Better" to show the softer side of the bands musical skills. The inclusion of a N-side is also for the really dedicated fans is nice, including: "Moon Child" & "Brother."

The album was recorded in Los Angeles with producer Gareth Richardson - who was previously worked with Biffy Clyro & Rage Against the Machine! With the label Virgin who have produced some great artwork encompassing the feel of the album, with a grey & black colour scheme showing the darker feel of this album. This is certainly not comparable with previous hits such as "Save It For the Bedroom."

It was received favourably by critics on the whole, Rockfreaks.net gave it an 8/10 which is the general consensus for the album. This is perhaps despite the variety it lacks an overall sense of polish, and also the album does lack that great of a replayabilty factor. Once it has been played through a few times the songs do become less inspiring; however it does all depend on the listener.

Overall this third album is an overall success, showcasing a gritty take on You Me At Six's talents it shows variety & skill if without a bit of polish. I would recommend picking this up but I would also recommend not paying an excessive amount for it as after the first few play thorughs you may not listen to it again.