Review by JD on July 19, 2009.

Can you guess what is so deliciously female while possessing the in your face attitude of Motley Crue or Velvet Revolver, the talent of a Black Label Society, while having the song writing prowess next to nobody... and I can top it all of by declaring that they just might be the next big thing? If you guessed that it is Canada’s biggest hidden hard rockin’ metallic jewel, Scarlet Sins... you are right.

Hailing from Canada’s biggest city, Toronto Ontario... These four ladies have come to give straight ahead metal music a firm kick squarely in the ass. The have been bouncing around eastern Canada for awhile now, being a staple of the bar circuit and opened for such notable acts as the already mentioned Motley Crue, Canadian metal legends Anvil and even have had shows with Canada’s other all girl group, Kittie.

One look at these four metal mistresses, and it is clear that they are some very beautiful ladies and all... when you see the talent that they have is when you realize that they never ever will have to rely on that (like Vixen did). One listen to their self titled debut and it is so clear that these girls know how to put together some wicked metal. They can play rings around any band out there... and have the attitude to kick them when they are down.

Songs like the brutally heavy ‘Drown’ which is so damned catchy yet it leaves you headbanging furiously, not to mention the bone crushing attack of ‘Reborn’ which fires out and tells the tale of a band, regardless of gender, that can absolutely rock hard. It baffles the hell out of me that not one of the many major labels (even the larger metal ones) have not snatched the Scarlet Sin girls up yet. These women kick ass... and they deliver it.

The Band: Sylvya Nuvynska (Vocals), Cristina Bishop (Guitars), Tanya Nickalaus (Bass), Elie Bertrand (Drums) are poised to swoop in and become a force in the metal world. I for one, will fly their flag high, and hope that the good ol’ boys club that metal for years have had feels truly scared. The Sin girls are on there collective ass with sound and talent that is unmatched, and they are not going away. Become part of the Sins Movement right now... I have.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Production: 9.5
Originality:9.5
Overall: 10

Rating: 9.8 out of 10

Review by Death8699 on June 23, 2019.

If you've never heard about this band, you're not really missing a whole heck of a lot. Allen West (ex-Obituary, Six Feet Under) belts out some Obituary style guitar work. His solos are mediocre, the rhythms are pretty slow and production sound isn't the greatest. Everything was audible but just the music was a disappointment. The tremolo picked guitar riffs totally reflect West's work with Obituary, not so much with Six Feet Under from my knowledge.

This album is pretty boring. The music is just fast picked guitar alongside rhythms that just don't stick in my mind. They really needed a stronger mixing instead of this "raw" sound. I guess that's what they were aiming for was something totally underground. That's where this is at. Slow, heavy/chunky riffs on here but there's nothing special or new about them. They just sound totally like Obituary minus the vocals. The vocal department was different than Obituary's. They're low bellowing throat with not much variation. There really aren't any songs that I liked a whole lot here. Even if you are an Obituary fan like me, Southwicked doesn't do a good job musically/production wise. Nothing special here or innovative. This 4-piece band hasn't the tools to make Death's Crown intrinsically noteworthy or special. Don't expect any rhythms to be really fast on here. They're just slow and tiresome. I think that this album is one that you really have to listen to a lot to actually like it. The lyrical topics fit the music well though. So, do the vocals. Although I'd much rather listen to Obituary if I wanted to hear something totally heavy and brutal. I don't like the production sound. It's flat and you can't really hear the bass guitar. The leads are lousy too. Allen West isn't known for his innovation in that department. To me, it just sounds like he just makes something up on each solo and isn't based on any real influences. It would've been a stronger output if there were only rhythms played here.

I don't want to say buy this album right away. Expect something in the vein of Obituary definitely. Slow rhythm guitar with tremolo picking and power chords galore. I could be wrong, but to me Southwicked needs to become a growing band. Their songwriting needs improvement and overall the songs were just average. That's why I gave the album a "C" rating. I would caution you to pick this up unless you’re a total Obituary/Six Feet Under fan. Then okay!

Rating: 7 out of 10