Drowning Pool’s ‘Sinner’ is set for 25th anniversary limited-edition vinyl reissue and expanded digital release

Craft Recordings celebrates the 25th anniversary of Drowning Pool’s Platinum-selling debut, “Sinner”, with a limited-edition vinyl reissue and expanded digital release. The 2001 album—the band’s only record to feature their original frontman, Dave Williams—includes such favorites as “Tear Away,” “Sinner,” and their signature hit, “Bodies.” Arriving June 5th and available for pre-order today, this special anniversary edition of “Sinner” is pressed on Sea Ink Swirl vinyl, while fans can also find exclusive pressings via Revolver (Clear Smoke vinyl) and through the band’s official website (Purple Smoke vinyl). The expanded digital release will be available on streaming sites, featuring “Bodies (Chris Vrenna’s XXX Tweaker Mix),” “The Man Without Fear (feat. Rob Zombie),” and “Break You (Demo),” the former of which is available to stream now.

Bestselling nu-metal band Drowning Pool was formed in Dallas in 1996 by guitarist C.J. Pierce, drummer Mike Luce, and bassist Stevie Benton—originally as an instrumental trio. Three years later, with the addition of singer Dave Williams, the band solidified their signature blend of hard-hitting guitar riffs, searing drums, and moody lyricism. As a four-piece, the band found immediate success, and, after touring alongside the likes of Sevendust, Kittie, and (hed)pe, they signed to Wind-up Records.

There, they entered the studio with producer Jay Baumgardner (Slipknot, Papa Roach, Godsmack) to work on their debut album. Focusing their songwriting around relationships and religion, the band found inspiration from the album’s lively opener and title track, “Sinner.” In an interview with MTV at the time, Williams shared, “It was just a natural progression that became the whole theme of the record. There are a lot of religious issues on the record and a lot of relationship issues. It just seemed like it would fit….We wanted to start with ‘Sinner’ and end with ‘Sermon.’ We covered all the bases….“

Other highlights include the emotive “Tear Away,” in which the band writes about the importance of leaving behind the noise of others and focusing inward. “All Over Me,” meanwhile, explores themes of regret and struggling with guilt. On the other end of the spectrum, Drowning Pool channel the cathartic intensity of the mosh pit in the anthemic “Bodies.” Built around the pummeling, chant-ready refrain “Let the bodies hit the floor,” the song transforms raw aggression into collective release and would go on to become one of the most recognizable and widely used tracks of the nu-metal era, a fixture in sports arenas, film, and gaming. As frontman Dave Williams explained to Fuse TV, it’s about “forgetting everything that has happened to you that week” (while staying true to an unspoken code): “If you push them down, you have to pick them back up. I’m not going to get behind the violence thing, it is violent, but there is a certain amount of respect.”

Upon its release in June 2001, “Sinner” made an instant impact, debuting at No.14 on the Billboard 200 and earning the band a Platinum certification less than three months later. Driving the album’s success was the Platinum-certified lead single “Bodies,” which landed in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart and peaked at No.12 on the Alternative Airplay chart. The song was also a Top 40 hit in the UK, and a No.3 hit on their Rock & Metal chart. Over the years, the song has appeared in a variety of films, TV shows, and viral online moments, while it has been used regularly in professional wrestling, appearing across WWE, ECW, and AEW programming. “Tear Away” (which hit the Top 40 of Billboard’s Alternative Airplay and Mainstream Rock charts) and “Sinner” were also embraced by the wrestling community and used as theme songs by the WWE.

The album, and its songs, have also long been embraced by the press. AllMusic praised “Sinner” as “a welcome breath of fresh air in the midst of all the so-called ‘hardcore’ that is on the airwaves today. A strong starting piece, “Sinner” shows Drowning Pool’s great potential.” The UK’s Q Magazine hailed the album as “The point where old and nu-metal meet. The impeccable riffs and uncompromising rhythms are perfectly balanced by Dave Williams’ fashionably angst-full lyrics.” Rolling Stone declared, “Drowning Pool keep the energy high throughout Sinner…. [‘Bodies’] is Drowning Pool’s finest moment on the disc and may well provide another rallying cry for alienated new-metal fans this summer.” In 2017, Spin ranked “Bodies” No.12 on their 30 Best Nu-Metal Songs round-up, while “Sinner” was included on Metal Descent’s 25 Best Alternative Metal Albums ranking.

Tragically, “Sinner” would mark Dave Williams’ final album with the band, following his sudden death in August 2002 from heart disease. The following years would find Drowning Pool continuing with several different vocalists, including Ryan McCombs (of SOiL) and Jasen Moreno. To date, the band has released a total of seven studio albums, including “Desensitized” (2004), “Drowning Pool” (2010), and, most recently in 2022, “Strike a Nerve.” Drowning Pool are currently working on their eighth studio album (including the recent single, “The Wrong One”), while fans across the world can catch them on tour throughout the spring and summer. For a full list of tour dates and ticket info, please visit DrowningPool.com.

“We appreciate all of our amazing fans that have stuck with us over the past 25 years!” the band enthusiastically shares. “We will be playing the Sinner record in its entirety and other fan-favorite songs as well. Looking forward to seeing everyone and performing all these songs live again! Come celebrate Sinnerwith us. See you at the shows!”

Click here to pre-order/pre-save “Sinner”.

“Sinner” Track List (Vinyl)

Side A:

1. Sinner

2. Bodies

3. Tear Away

4. All Over Me

5. Reminded

6. Pity

Side B:

1. Mute

2. I Am

3. Follow

4. Told You So

5. Sermon

“Sinner” Track List (Expanded Digital)

1.    Sinner

2.    Bodies

3.    Tear Away

4.    All Over Me

5.    Reminded

6.    Pity

7.    Mute

8.    I Am

9.    Follow

10. Told You So

11. Sermon

12. Break You (Demo)*

13. The Man Without Fear (Feat. Rob Zombie)*

14. Bodies (Chris Vrenna’s XXX Tweaker Mix)*

*Bonus track

Drowning Pool Tour Dates

• April 17: 1st Street Stage, Fremont Street Experience (Las Vegas, NV)
• April 18: Fiesta Oyster Bake, (San Antonio, TX)
• May 8: Welcome To Rockville (Daytona Beach, FL)
• May 20: Ace of Spades (Bogotá, CO)
• May 22: CC Leguia (Lima, PE)
• May 24: Teatro Caupolicán (Santiago, CL)
• May 26: Teatro Vorterix (Buenos Aires, AR)
• May 29: Mister Rock (Belo Horizonte, BR)
• May 30: Carioca Club (São Paulo, BR)
• May 31: Tork N’ Roll (Curitiba, BR)
• June 12: Download Festival 2026 (Derby, UK)
• June 14: Cheese and Grain (Frome, UK)
• June 16: Tramshed (Cardiff, UK)
• June 17: G Live Guildford (Guildford, UK)
• June 18: De La Warr Pavilion (Bexhill On Sea, UK)
• June 19: Graspop Metal Meeting 2026 (Dessel, BE)
• June 20: Beatpol (Dresden, DE)
• June 23: Flex (Vienna, AT)
• June 26: Basinfirefest 2026 (Pilsen, CZ)
• July 25: The Venue Event Center (Cadillac, MI)
• August 7: Sturgis Buffalo Chip 2026 (Sturgis, SD)
• August 8: The Afterburn Ohio Music Festival (Ridgeville, OH)
• October 2: Aftershock 2026 (Sacramento, CA)