Sins of the Siren - Sins of the Siren

Programmer/keyboardist Joe Pagano really settles the heart and soul of darkwave band Sins of the Siren. Beginning his career back in 1996 in the band Juno Scenario, he has been playing and creating non stop. Also dedicating himself to another band called Proteus as well as an internet collaboration titled Insomnia Orchestra, all three eventually fell through and died down.

Alas, he was soon back in the game acting as keyboardist for the harsh industrial band called Gewalt Kubikzahl. However, again, that was short lived, and he soon found himself crafting solo music through his self-created project Infinity Sequence. However, the calling to be in a band with more than just himself as the focus came calling forth, and he eventually joined up with Voting With Bullets.

Pagano spent six years in the punk/metal band and it was where he met guitarist Casper Tussey, who would join Sins of the Siren a good year after the band formed. He also met Lizzy Obscura by way of her boyfriend (drummer for Voting With Bullets who joined Sins of the Siren for the first year), who would come to join the band as the first member. 

And what they brought to us in 2014 is an album that cranks out tunes that were created by Pagano years ago, only to see light again. This is also their self-titled debut, consisting of thirteen tracks that have been fifteen years in the making. If there's any one thing you could give this band it would probably be points for dedication.

Anyway, as I said earlier, darkwave is the name of the game when it comes to this band, citing influences such as Switchblade Symphony, Birthday Massacre, Siouxsie & The Banshees, and Bella Lune. They don't hit anywhere near the mark of those bands, but they are able to firmly plant their feet in the ground as a respectable act.

Again, understand that this album has been fifteen years in the making, so a lot of the sounds are quite well off balanced. The mix of both old and new is good, but it would sound much, much better with better mastering services. The cleanest sounds actually come from the lead vocalist herself, who doesn't sound bad at all, but with her voice coming forth more than the music, you rarely get the chance to really enjoy the beats that are formed or even the guitar strings that are strummed.

Now, what I do think should happen is that all the old material needs to be scrapped and abandoned; it served well to showcase what the band wants to do for the future, but to further their intentions with this material would be futile; it doesn't sound the best and a repeated effort would be unprofessional. Recording new material and having the proper sounds accompany would be in best interest not only for them, but for the fans they have so far accumulated.

Nonetheless, I strike my doubts away, as this album really serves more or less as a demo. I wish the best for this band in the future, and I am kind of looking forward to which direction they'll be heading in next. Best of luck to them. Jan 20 2015