by Howard Whitman/E-Gear

A heavy metal tribute to Frank Sinatra? “Sin-Atra” is more like a collision between two very different musical styles. And what do you know? For the most part, it works. Former Steve Vai vocalist Devin Townsend kicks things off with a crazed romp through “New York, New York” (complete with “School’s Out” kids choir); Deep Purple/Black Sabbath/Black Country Communion singer Glenn Hughes does an impassioned read of “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”–you get the idea. While the instrumentation is all screaming guitars and crashing drums (with some synth horns), the song structures pretty much remain the same. Some pieces just don’t work–they could’ve skipped Dee Snider’s (Twister Sister) “It Was A Very Good Year” and Geoff Tate’s (Queensryche) cover of “Summer Wind”–but highlights like former Judas Priest singer Tim ‘Ripper” Owens’ howling take on “Witchcraft” and King’s X vocalist dUg Pinnick’s soulful read of “I’ve Got the World on a String” (a perfect mix of metal and swing) take this idea to its fullest potential. A fun work that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and I can see this one being a great party album: “They’re singing WHAT?”

Related: CD Reviews, Devin Townsend, Former Steve Vai, Frank Sinatra, Glenn Hughes, Judas Priest, New York, Sin Atra, Summer Wind, Tim Ripper Owens Devin Townsend with steve vai, frank sinatra the most of cd, Various Artists - 2011 SIN-atra

to CD Review: Various Artists: Sin-Atra

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