Sinamore

Compared to 2006’s A New Day, Seven Sins a Second sounds like the work of a band that’s spent some time getting to know their inner demons. Sinamore’s second record lets through about the same amount of light — very little — but they seem to have traded in gloom for turmoil. Still rock at the core, what previously verged on radio-smooth is now a little rawer and edgy without losing its air of accessibility and often-catchy vibe (exemplified in "The Burning Frame”). The general atmosphere is better for the change but it’s not quite enough to stir the soul. The most unexpected moment on the album comes fairly late — a contradictory ferocity disrupting the otherwise smooth flow of "Unbreakable Calm.” From there, Seven Sins a Second settles back into its goth rock groove for a finale that’s unfaltering but not abundantly inspiring.