Yesterday saw the official release of Zurich-based Marty McKay’s Sins Disciple; a widely ambitious concept album that runs the gamut from nu metal and rap rock. McKay has shared the stage with Vanilla Ice, and in a way, ends up sounding a little like his protégé as he internalizes the 7 deadly sins and fires off first person raps over the glitchy Euro beats and clean cut pop hooks.
The album, which comes equipped with an elaborate booklet of beautifully shot and staged photos, is also accompanied by a graphic novel which mirrors the themes and characters laid out in the music. It is an incredibly ostentatious debut that has a lot going for it on several levels, namely:
1) It stands at the vanguard of technology; weaving together several formats that are available in both the digital and physical realms.
2) The album and the book feed into each other, creating a multi-dimensional universe curated by McKay. If you dig either the music or the book, there is plenty more to expand on.
3) Besides the somewhat throwback nature of the music, the content is extremely current and enlightening without any intentional finger pointing or name dropping. It is a socio-political masterwork.
I tip my hat to McKay, who had the gumshoe to not only tackle such a grandiose feat for his debut, but to express the songs in English, a language which is not his native tongue. The reason, however, is obvious… McKay has his sights set on bringing his concept art to the masses and has done an extraordinary job completing such an ambitious undertaking.
Sins Disciple is available here
Modern Visionaries 