Sin Destroyers

The Sin Destroyers Court Followers with Their Rock and Roll Gospel
By Mary Bakija

The lights came up, and a young woman approached the stage.

"Is your lead singer in training to become a preacher?"

"A preacher of rock, yes," replied Andy Kennedy, lead guitarist for the Sin Destroyers, as he packed up his gear after their Friday night show at Don Hill's in New York City. The woman nodded appreciatively and walked back to her friends. Andy loosened his tie,
zipped up his guitar case, and grinned. "And we're all rock 'n roll disciples."

This was the fourth live Sin Destroyers show, and the second at Don Hill's. Before the first appearance, the group had struggled to convince the venue's
booking agent that they'd be appropriate. He politely suggested that the self-proclaimed "World's
Christianest Rock Band" might be better off playing somewhere else. He eventually gave in to their
persistence, and scheduled them as the first in a series of heavy metal acts. The Sin Destroyers easily drew a crowd of sixty, made up of friends who had heard only rough takes and early versions of songs. The draw impressed the booker at the club, who scheduled another date for them at a better time as soon as they climbed off stage.

Peter Squires who plays guitar and sings backup harmonies for the band he co-created with lead vocalist/Preacher of Rock Tyler Walker, knows this misunderstanding will continue as the band becomes more familiar in the city. Besides drawing a good crowd to their shows, it takes a listen to know how to bill them.

"The bands we played with that first night were Pantera-based, while we're a much smaller, gentler
cat, musically," Peter said of the first Don Hill's show. "Don't get me wrong, we still have claws. The
more opportunities we're given to lead people in our mission to destroy Satan with our holy rock, the better people see the kind of potent rock we fit with."

"We're a real fist-pumper," explained Mike DiBenedetto, bassist.

The crowd agrees. At this second show at Don Hill's, audience participation rivaled that of a Sunday morning mass—hands shot up, chants and responses were
shouted with gusto. The power-pop refrains and rock hooks moved the crowd, bringing to mind Black Sabbath, The Stooges, and AC/DC. The trends in music have been
cyclical in the past few years, bringing back sounds only a decade or two old. Tinny 80's guitar sounds and synth-derived dance tracks will soon be in the
past again. The sound that follows could be the sound of the Sin Destroyers, the sound of a stadium anthem. With such hummable beats and catchy lyrics, people
inevitably want to go home with something more than a
memory after the show.

Drummer Dave Smilow was approached after their second
show and asked about merchandise.

"I could see the bouncer in the back while we were playing because he was about seven feet tall, and headbanging," Dave said. "When we were done, he came up to me and said he wanted to buy a cd, which we didn't have. I knew we should record soon, because I didn't want to piss off any more guys as big as him."

So on Friday night immediately following the second show at Don Hill's, the Sin Destroyers began work on their first e.p. at Dubway Studios, a recording and
post-production facility with a client list that includes such artists as David Byrne, Richard Hell, and They Might Be Giants. To get a great recording at a top studio, the band had to sacrifice sleep to fit it in their budget, and worked two days from midnight to six a.m.

"Our shows have paid us enough for parking," Tyler said. "Recording in the middle of the night is
cheaper, and we don't need sleep to get us through it. We've got guidance."

Even with certain forces on their side, problems can arise. Like an engineer encountering bumps for a few hours. Like musicians missing beats. Like sheer bodily exhaustion from days of overuse. However, after the twelve scheduled hours were done, they stuck around for another couple hours—and went back the
following weekend for another six. The final five songs proved well worth the time.

"These days anybody can record music on a computer in a dank basement," Mike said. "We have a very dank basement. We could have done that. But the
difference is unbelievable. For a small investment, we've got a recording that we can really be proud of."

The contagious energy of the Sin Destroyers live shows is captured in the recording, and will sonically satisfy both those who have requested c.d.'s after
seeing them and those who have yet to experience their unique word of rock. Just one listen is all it takes to be converted to a Sin Destroyers disciple. - CROQ