Review: Bad Sister – Where Will You Go

Pride & Joy Music (November 25th, 2022)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

Bad Sister, a German band that released two albums back in the late 80s and early 90s, have reunited to release ‘Where Will You Go’. I am not familiar with their previous albums but it’s a safe bet to say the band has not reinvented itself in any way as this sounds like an album released from that era. Fans of female-fronted 80s hair metal are going to want to add this to their collection.

I was admittedly taken aback by lead singer Andrea Löhndorf’s lower register. She has a similar vocal range to someone like Bonnie Tyler or Doro. First single and opening track ‘Lose or Win’ is a nice slice of 80s euro-style rock and is one of the best songs on the album. A very accessible song for those who love that late 80s sound and easy to see why it would be released as a single.

Other great tracks include ‘Don’t Need Me’, which borrows a bit of the melody line of Autograph’s ‘Dance All Night’ for an upbeat track that is contradictory to the lyrics while still being a feel-good song, if that makes sense. Andrea’s strongest vocals can be found in ‘Could It Be Love’, a heartfelt ballad with some great soaring guitars courtesy of Sven Lange. Closing track ‘Got Caught’ sounds like the type of song you would hear on an 80s horror soundtrack, and I mean that as a compliment. I thought of several movies the song could have played over the closing credits. The stand-out track on the album and a fun song to drive around to at night.  I know because that’s exactly what I did, and it got my blood pumping!

What may hold the album back from curious listeners who stream is the sequencing. I found the two weakest tracks (‘Feels Like Love’ and ‘Bright Lights’) to be the second and third song on the album. The problems with those songs fall squarely on the shoulders of singer Andrea Löhndorf. Whatever passion and energy she showcases in the other tracks are absent here.  She gives a low-energy effort that comes off as lackadaisical. Later in the album, the chorus on the album’s other ballad ‘Moon Woman’ is also negatively affected by the decision to show restraint at the part of the song that requires a stronger vocal approach. All these songs would have been stronger with a surging tempo change at just the right time.

The band could have also held back a bit on the length of the album. At thirteen tracks, the album is nearly an hour long. It would have been stronger had it removed the weakest tracks.  With that said, this is a solid effort. Fans of bands like Femme Fatale and Saraya are sure to find what they like about those bands here.