June 5, 2001 - Drowning Pool and Sinner

Two weeks after my last release a new band joins my library when Drowning Pool released their debut album "Sinner" on June 5, 2001. But who is Drowning Pool? They are a four-piece nu-metal band from Dallas, Texas consisting of drummer Mike Luce, bassist Stevie Benton, guitarist C.J. Pierce and lead singer Dave Williams. Drowning Pool are another nu-metal band and this album did pretty well on the charts, bolstered by the success of it's lead single. Let's see what Drowning Pool are all about!

The album kicks off with the title track "Sinner" and Pierce plays a pretty catchy and decently heavy main guitar riff. Williams yells the verse in a solid voice that isn't a scream but is fairly close and he sings in a more accessible, less good voice in the chorus that is okay but nothing too special. This song is pretty short and a little repetitive, but the heavy main riff is enough to make this a solid album opener. Up next is the lead single and easily Drowning Pool's most famous song and it's called "Bodies". Williams whispers "let the bodies hit the floor" a few times until he yells the final "FLOOOOOR!" and they kick nicely into a heavy and cool main riff. Benton plays some solid bass in the background and they do a nice job of slowly building things up as the verse starts quiet, gets louder and then climaxes with the heavy chorus with Williams sounding really heavy and good almost screaming. This song is also a little repetitive, but it's just so darn good at being heavy and catchy! A cool song for sure that is impossible not to sing along to. Track 3 is "Tear Away" and Williams sings in a less heavy, clearer voice, but he sounds solid and eventually the music picks up for a nice heavy chorus riff. The formula for these guys seems to be start the verse quiet, build it up as it goes and then finish with a loud heavy chorus. There's a guitar solo on this song, but it's a fairly simple one and otherwise this one too, is also repetitive. This was a single but I'm not shocked that this one didn't do nearly as well. The next track is "All Over Me" and it's got a pretty basic main guitar riff, but Benton plays some nice stop-and-start bass and this catchy offbeat stuff carries into the chorus. Williams just repeats the name of the song over and over in a boring chorus, but at least the music is decent? This song follows the same formula but in my opinion is easily the least exciting so far as it takes the repetitiveness to another level. Track 5 is "Reminded" and Benton plays a fast-paced and cool sounding bass riff and then Pierce syncs up with him with the same riff played with a nice heavy guitar tone. Luce adds some funky drums and this is a pretty cool main riff. The chorus has some nice heavy music, but Williams once again just sings "reminded of you" over and over again. Despite another boring chorus the rest of the song is pretty good and makes up for it. Up next is "Pity" and they follow the same formula as Pierce plays some cool guitar in a quiet verse, and this chorus is actually not repetitive! Williams yells a great chorus that is definitely one of his best and together this makes for a solid tune! This is what can happen if all parts of the formula are done well! After "Bodies", definitely the next best song so far. Track 7 is "Mute" and it's got a slow but distorted and cool main guitar riff and Williams follows the formula: starts the verse with some lighter singing, then they ramp up on their way to a heavy chorus riff with a repetitive chorus. Pierce plays a pretty cool guitar solo but this falls into the main category of "decent but nothing too special". The next track is "I Am" and it's got a pretty catchy and solid main riff by Pierce, but the lack of creativity in the song structures is really hurting things, especially in the latter half of the album. This song was alright, but Drowning Pool seem content to just be alright and not push the boundaries too much. Track 9 is "Follow" and if we add that the main riff is usually solid then this song absolutely fits the formula perfectly. My head is banging and things sound solid, but once they do the first verse and chorus you've basically heard the whole song. Williams does some weird stuff with his voice in a failed attempt to spice things up a bit, but Pierce does deliver probably his longest solo of the album and it sounds pretty good. Up next is "Told You So" and we have another pretty cool guitar riff and Williams sings in a fast, really nu-metal voice on this one and that sounds good as well! It still follows the formula, but it's one of the better songs on the album. The final song on the album is "Sermon" and Luce plays some cool drums on this one that really add to an epic verse that might be the most out of their comfort zone of the album, and that's definitely a good thing! Breaking from the formula sounds refreshing indeed and this is a pretty interesting main riff! After a couple rounds they quiet things down and Williams sings a nice new verse as they keep things fresh. A solid way to finish things off!

That is the end of "Sinner" and I thought it was a decent album, but definitely not a great one. "Bodies" is a great song and there are a couple other above average ones, but most of them are pretty formulaic. Where will Drowning Pool go from here?