Everyone and their grandma has heard the colossal radio hit that was "Bodies" by Drowning Pool at least once in the past twenty five years. This song was everywhere in mainstream media, from it's inclusion in the film trailer for Jason X, to it's usage for numerous WWF and ECW (well, WWE's version of the famed wrestling promotion) event theme songs. More recently, the song has remained relevant in pop culture today with the band performing a mashup of the track with Offset and J.I.D. on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. RuPaul's Drag Race legend Alaska Thunderfuck has covered "Bodies" during a live Christmas show at the end of 2025. The track has even kept its roots in wrestling with the song hilariously being blasted on repeat throughout Desert Diamond Arena during AEW's Anarchy in the Arena match at the 2025 installment of the Double or Nothing PPV. While "Bodies" as a single completely blew up and was shot through the stratosphere, the rest of their debut album, Sinner, may often be overlooked by more casual fans. Let's dive into the deep end of Drowning Pool's first studio album and see how it holds up after twenty five years.
Sinner was released on June 5th, 2001 courtesy of Wind-up Records. It debuted at the fourteenth spot on the Billboard 200, and would go on to become certified platinum by the RIAA just six weeks after. This is the only album that would showcase vocalist Dave Williams before his untimely passing on August 14th, 2002 due to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Williams was able to experience the success of Sinner in the year that followed it's release, including a run on the 2001 Ozzfest tour.
The opening track shares the same name as the album and sets the tone for the rest of the record. Once it was decided that Sinner would be the name of the album, Drowning Pool decided that they wanted to weave the theme of religious issues throughout the record. In the same vein, relationship difficulties inspired many of the songs as well. One way or another, fans would be able to find some way to relate to the topics of struggling with relationship problems, whether that is with a significant other or a higher power. The message of the song is that different religions have different sets of rules to abide by, and at some point in life, everyone will have committed at least one sin. No one is perfect. This track starts the album off strong with a catchy headbanger. "Sinner" was used as the theme song for the movie The One, as well as the WWF PPV event Vengeance in December of 2001.
Drowning Pool keep the adrenaline going with the anthemic "Bodies". Easily their most popular song, it's not hard to see why. It was made for live performances, being inspired by mosh pits and the display of controlled violence with respect to those also in the pit. The track starts off with Williams whispering the iconic line "Let the bodies hit the floor" before catapulting into him screaming. It's akin to the feeling that one gets when riding a roller coaster. The whispering is the part where you're slowly going up the tracks, building anticipation for the inevitable drop down where you scream your head off and mayhem ensues.
The third track, "Tear Away" concludes the triumvirate of singles that opens the album. While not as chaotic as the previous song, it allows the listener a moment to catch their breath. In order to have those high peaks of a roller coaster, there also needs to be a cool down moment. "Tear Away" is a highlight of Williams' singing. Yes, he can scream but the clean vocals is where he shines. Many people may not associate Drowning Pool with having unique or standout singing, but Williams vocals are underrated and should be appreciated more. In a genre that is known for more aggressive and rugged vocals, it's a pleasure to have some excellent singing showcased as well. "Tear Away" was used as one of the theme songs for Wrestlemania X8 where the band actually performed it live as well. Drowning Pool was very popular in the wrestling scene, as Kevin Steen (now known as Kevin Owens in WWE) used this song as his entrance music when he was working for Ring of Honor and Combat Zone Wrestling.
Three songs from Sinner featured on the very nu metal soundtrack of the 2002 Funimation English dub of Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge. "Reminded", "Mute", and "Told You So" provide background music for various scenes in the movie. One criticism that could be had for this album is that a lot of the songs sound very similar. Drowning Pool found a sound that worked for them and stuck to it throughout the record, but the songs don't necessarily sound repetitive or generic. The style of the vocals and guitars, as well as the pacing of the songs, make the album sound cohesive rather than a bunch of different songs just thrown together in a random order. While not all of the tracks can be as memorable as the singles, it is clear as day that those songs belong to Sinner. "Reminded" and "Pity" show off some groovy and funky tones in both vocals and instruments. "Mute" and "I Am" slow the pace of the album down, succeeded by "Follow" and "Told You So" to pick up the steam. Drowning Pool's sound typically leans more towards the Ra or Flaw style of nu metal rather than the Limp Bizkit or Linkin Park formula, but "Told You So" has the most rap adjacent vocals out of all of the songs, making it stand out.
The grand finale is "Sermon", a track that is very on the nose when it comes to critiquing religion. The subject of the song questions where God was during the troubling times in his life when he needed help and guidance, as well as expressing contempt for hypocrisy and beliefs being shoved down other people's throats. While many songs can be left up to individual interpretation, "Sermon"'s message is loud and clear. The track concludes with a snippet of Williams' vocals being played in reverse as an homage to the times of the Satanic Panic in the 80's, where heavy metal songs were accused of hiding hidden meanings in their songs that could only be revealed if the record was spun backwards. The choice to bookend the album with "Sinner" and "Sermon" was a deliberate one, to really hit the nail on the head with the band's message and critiques. Sinner is far from a one hit album. While "Bodies" does receive the most attention, the rest of the album holds up extremely well. It may not be the most unique or groundbreaking nu metal album of all time, but it remains a solid listen to this day.
Drowning Pool released an Unlucky 13th Anniversary Edition of Sinner in 2014, featuring an unreleased demo called "Heroes Sleeping". Williams wrote the song about honoring musicians who had passed away, and unfortunately, it ended up being about him too. The song was recorded and finished just mere weeks before Williams untimely passing. As for a 25th anniversary celebration, the band is releasing an expanded digital edition including three bonus tracks which are "Bodies (Chris Vrenna's XXX Tweaker Mix)", "The Man Without Fear (feat. Rob Zombie)", and "Break You (Demo)". Also available will be three different limited edition vinyl variants (Purple Smoke, Sea Ink Swirl, and Clear Smoke).
As for a 25th anniversary tour, there is no plans at this time. Drowning Pool was scheduled to tour in South America at the end of May, but that was cancelled due to logistical problems (among other potential issues). Perhaps the band will announce a North American anniversary tour for later this year.
Relive this classic nu metal album:
