GODDESS SHIVA – Goddess Shiva

Insiders of the early German Classic Hard Rock era might still remember the Stuttgart-based power trio Shiva, formed in spring 1977 by Armin Sabol (Major Tom, Hazel ‘O’ Connor) and Mat Sinner (Sinner, Primal Fear). Despite all the rave and hype around the hard rocking trio’s energetic live shows back then (as seen during support shows for the likes of Whitesnake, Nina Hagen, and others), constant line-up problems as well as personal differences resulted in Matt forming his own band Sinner in 1980, and additionally, forming the Power Metal band Primal Fear in the mid-nineties while Armin had decided to move on and build a highly successful carrier as a producer and studio guitarist.

To mark the beginning of a new era, the band re-invented itself as Goddess Shiva in 2005 and also rounded up their line-up with drummer Martin Schmidt (Atrocity, Leaves Eyes) to complete the Classic Hard Rock trio. Goddess Shiva is the band’s long-time overdue debut album and is supposed to close the gap that Mat Sinner also refers to as “unfinished business.”

The mystical, Asian-influenced Intro nicely compliments the CD cover art and seamlessly fades into the opening track “Walking On Thorns.” The tracks “This Ain’t Love” and “Heat Of The Night” really show what a skillful and talented guitarist Armin Sabol is. The instrumental song “Ali Baba” is a definite album highlight, which is actually somehow surprising considering the line-up presence of Mat Sinner and his renowned vocal style. Another highlight is the emotional ballad “Same Old City.” Watch out for the highly impressive and Bluesy lead break on this track, which easily competes with the best guitar players in the business.

Unfortunately, there a few songs on the album which are not worthy to mention as some of them are too cliché and sometimes lack real good choruses. The overall production of Goddess Shiva is solid, however, and sounds very good.

Goddess Shiva features some excellent guitarwork, backed by Mat Sinner’s trademark voice, without revealing anything new or spectacular. Most compositions are rather contained and are based on traditional Heavy Rock roots, which might be enough to convince quite a few buyers, however, for the more demanding listener, Goddess Shiva might not offer too much of a ride.

Lineup

Martin Schmidt – Drums
Mat Sinner – Vocals, Bass
Armin Sabol – Vocals, Guitars