Review: Vandenberg – SIN

Mascot Records (August 25^th 2023)

Reviewer: Jason Hopper

Vandenberg is a band that I would superficially listen to either on satellite radio or hanging with some friends. I’m much more familiar with Adrian Vandenberg’s involvement in Whitesnake.  Even though he only co-wrote two studio albums with them (and only played on one of them) in a twelve-year span, he was an integral part of their touring line-up at the height of their fame in the late 80s. The band Vandenberg came back into my radar when I had an opportunity to see them on the Monsters of Rock Cruise. I was impressed by their performance, enough that when their new album was available to review, I jumped at the chance to check it out.

One other factor that made me want to seek out the album was the initial single. ‘House On Fire’ replicated the sound of Whitesnake, right down to the vocalist. I am familiar with singer Mats Leven from his time with Yngwie Malmsteen and the band Swedish Erotica. I’m know his style of singing, but he’s never sounded like this. There’s a huskiness and growl to his vocals as he tries to mimic Coverdale’s vibrato and does so to great success. I was hoping to get more of that with this album and that is EXACTLY what I got.

Opening track ‘Thunder and Lightning’ has a manic frenzy to it that makes it feel like a mid to late 70s Deep Purple track. Mats Leven nails Coverdale’s tessitura with such ease it’s not even debatable if he was actively trying to sound like him. It is all done deliberately and masterfully.

Vandenberg recreates the Whitesnake classic ‘Judgement Day’ with the title track ‘Sin’. It’s nearly note for note in places. While I love both songs, ‘Sin’ comes off as an unnecessary track to be recorded, as Vandenberg said everything that needed to be said with the former track.  However, I will state that the solo laid here is much stronger than what Vai had to offer and fits the mood of the song better.

‘Burning Skies’ starts out with choppy notes and breaks that immediately reminded me of Jethro Tull’s Aqualung song. Oh my…how I hate that song. However, the choppiness ends quick, the groove kicks in, and the song became my second favorite from the album. The best song is courtesy of the next track. ‘Hit The Ground Running’ is Whitesnake circa 1987. Showcasing the fastest tempo on the album, Vandenberg rips through the track with flashiness that harkens back to those Sykes/Vai days of yore. I’d be real money that this is the opening song in their setlist when they tour.

Would this album have been ‘Slip Of The Tongue‘ if Vandenberg had not been injured and prevented from playing alongside Steve Vai? No. Could this have been the album if Whitesnake had continued immediately after Vai left and they recorded another album in the early 90s? I believe so. This album feels like an album that was shelved in the early 90s when this music fell out of fashion. It’s a great peek into what could have been. Those years in Whitesnake certainly rubbed off on him. The album is a great mix of high-energy rockers, groove-based bangers, and one ballad. This is everything I hoped it would be and needs to be purchased by anyone who loves the old school Coverdale era of Deep Purple and Whitesnake. I believe that going forward I will return to this album much more often than the recent Whitesnake releases. A tremendous release!

Tracklist:

1. Thunder And Lightning
2. House On Fire
3. Sin
4. Light It Up
5. Walking On Water
6. Burning Skies
7. Hit The Ground Running
8. Baby You’ve Changed
9. Out Of the Shadows