It's the return of the "rock sex god" and all-round bad boy, Sebastian Bach (or 'Bas' as he's affectionately known!), together with his gang of four: Rachel Bolan, Dave 'Snake' Sabo, Rob Affuso, and Scotti Hill. SKID ROW have certainly kept to their promise that Slave to the Grind would be a "real fuckin' aggressive high energy record!"
This time around, the boy 'Bas', has had a greater hand in the song-writing, and, bearing in mind the band's collective influences, they've certainly gone out of their way to infuse the music with that raw power and aggression so fundamental to the exponents of classic, old-school-style heavy metal, such as AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST, and MOTORHEAD.
Whilst acknowledging their commendable honesty and passion in returning to their roots, it does seem a tad ironic that the three ballads on the record are amongst the most memorable cuts on offer here. However, in fairness, they're not typical ballads; they're more steely-edged, and cover such wholesome subject matter as the loss of faith in God in a fucked-up world, child violence, and heroin addiction.
"Wasted Time" is probably the pick of the bunch (although the melancholic "Quicksand Jesus" runs it a close second), 'Bas' giving an almost inspired vocal performance!
Elsewhere 'Bas' generally sees himself as an ass-kicking, anti authoritarian figure. Take "Riot Act" - "you say it's raining but you're pissing down my back/ So stop reading me the Riot Act."
However, 'Bas' (and the rest of the band for that matter), tend to overstress and oversimplify the point. It's as if they're trying too hard to distance themselves from ever being perceived as teen girl pop-metal balladeers; to prove that they can cut it as a genuine no nonsense, bad-assed "rawk" band. Yeah? 'Bas' snarling on "Get the Fuck Out" as the savage metal beast thunders and clatters in the background really says it all. Still, "Psycho Love" displays a controlled power and sense of melodic pace in that most of the other heavies lack.
However, 'Bas' (and the rest of the band for that matter), tend to overstress and oversimplify the point. It's as if they're trying too hard to distance themselves from ever being perceived as teen girl pop-metal balladeers; to prove that they can cut it as a genuine no nonsense, bad-assed "rawk" band. Yeah? 'Bas' snarling on "Get the Fuck Out" as the savage metal beast thunders and clatters in the background really says it all. Still, "Psycho Love" displays a controlled power and sense of melodic pace in that most of the other heavies lack.
So, does the sound of fury signify nothing, as Shakespeare once claimed? Hardly, but let's just say that sometimes you've got to "scream without raising your voice".
Grade B +
Mark Liddell
Riff Raff
July 1991
0 comments:
Post a Comment