Check out another text written by one of our WikiBrothers:
United World Rebellion is a relief for those fans who thought they'd never again hear that old Hard/Heavy sound the band had
United World Rebellion is a relief for those fans who thought they'd never again hear that old Hard/Heavy sound the band had
by Marcel Ianuck
After a long hiatus, numerous rumors of a classic lineup reunion, health issues, and drummer changes, Skid Row is back with the first of a series of three EPs called United World Rebellion. Before discussing this new release, let's recap their story so far.
Skid Row was formed in New Jersey, USA, where the songwriting duo Dave "Snake" Sabo (guitar) and Rachel Bolan (bass), after auditioning other people, settled on the first "classic" lineup with Scott Hill (guitar), Rob Affuso (drums), and Canadian vocalist Sebastian Bach. With the support of Dave Snake's friend, Jon Bon Jovi (yes, that's right), the band managed to release their self-titled debut album in 1989, where the ballads " 18 & Life" and "I Remember You" became hits on radio stations worldwide, including Brazil, where they were featured as the international soundtrack for a Globo telenovela, guaranteeing significant radio airplay and prejudice from more radical headbangers. Even with heavier songs like the anthem "Youth Gone Wild" and "Piece of Me ," most metalheads, especially in Brazil, still saw Skid Row as just another band from the 80s Hair Metal movement and nothing more.
In 1991, the group released their best work to date; the album Slave to the Grind, where radio-friendly ballads like Wasted Time and In a Darkened Room secured first place on the Billboard charts, while the heaviness of Monkey Business, Mudkicker , the title track, among others, showed that, despite the hair and pretty boy image of vocalist Sebastian Bach, they were indeed a great Heavy Metal band. On this album, the singer also showed that he had a truly above-average voice, even being considered in the following years to fill the vocalist position in bands like Van Halen and Iron Maiden. Another example that the group wasn't messing around was the historic tour they did in the USA with none other than Pantera (Cowboys From Hell era) opening the shows and, eventually, jamming with them.
With "Slave to the Grind" they showed that despite the hair and pretty boy image of vocalist Sebastian Bach, they were a great heavy metal band
With "Slave to the Grind" they showed that despite the hair and pretty boy image of vocalist Sebastian Bach, they were a great heavy metal band
After a successful EP of covers, the band disappeared from the map. Shortly after, Grunge appeared, turning the world rock scene upside down. After a 5-year hiatus, Skid Row returned with the confusing album Subhuman Race, a varied album with good songs but somewhat experimental for the traditional Hard Rock and Heavy Metal audience, especially
at a time when metal had practically no space. The singles and videos from this album still had some success, but the band's decline was clear, and they broke up right after a tour in Brazil, culminating in a terrible performance at Monsters of Rock. It was the wrong band, at the wrong time, with a below-average performance (Sebastian's vocals were really worn out that day) and, to make matters worse, it immediately provoked outrage from a large part of the audience by being the co-headliner, right before the main attraction (the also terrible, but applauded, Iron Maiden show with Blaze Bayley), leaving behind (and with less stage time) acts like Motörhead, King Diamond, Helloween, among other favorites of a large part of the audience. The result was a shower of spit, cups, plastic bottles,
etc… and boos, lots of boos… It was the last straw.
A few years later, Dave Snake, Rachel Bolan, and Scott Hill reformed the band, leaving Rob Affuso and Sebastian Bach out. With the drummer, it seems it wasn't anything personal, as he was dedicated to other projects and wasn't interested in playing again at that time. With the vocalist, however, it was a real feud. According to Bolan, conflicts began after the first album was finished, as Sebastian didn't accept that all the songs were credited to both Bolan and Snake and always tried, in the bassist's words, to make minimal contributions to the lyrics or music to force his way into being a co-author of the tracks. This and other tantrums from the vocalist are said to be the reasons why Bolan and Bach haven't spoken to each other since.
Thus, Texan Johnny Solinger took over as vocalist, a nearly impossible task: pleasing Sebastian's fans, who didn't help either, always giving his former bandmates and his replacement the chance. The truth is, Solinger is a great vocalist, without the same high vocal range as Sebastian, it's true, but very versatile and with a powerful voice.
With Johnny on vocals, the band had released the good album Thickskin and the uneven Revolutions Per Minute. Despite a good start, opening for Kiss's (supposed) Farewell Tour, the truth is that the band soon fell into the circuit of smaller bars and clubs, playing with bands like Jackyl, Tesla, Warrant, and the like. The show, as can be seen during the band's visit to São Paulo, remains exciting, and Johnny holds his own very well as frontman. But the band's popularity is no longer the same. Many blame Solinger, but the songs on the Revolutions Per Minute album managed to disperse a good part of the band's fanbase since, alongside some good songs like Disease, Love is Dead , and Let it Ride , there were bizarre things like the Country Rock You Lie (repeated twice), the annoying Punk Country When God Can't Wait , among other somewhat strange songs of dubious quality for a band like Skid Row. Another contributing factor was that, for the first time, the band released an album without any ballads, which "guaranteed" that the album would go unnoticed on radio stations and media outlets that still give space to Rock music.
After that album, they hit the road, but several factors led to the belief that the band would no longer record; unexpected drummer changes, the band playing without Snake (due to a wrist problem), Rachel recording with Stone Sour, Snake busy managing Down, among others. Several years passed until the band announced a contract with Megaforce Records and the release of 3 EPs in sequence (more or less in the same style as Down, managed by Snake, is doing) instead of releasing a full album.
It's Skid Rock from 2013, without being too nostalgic, nor too experimental or "modern."
It's Skid Rock from 2013, without being too nostalgic, nor too experimental or "modern."
Now, finally, let's talk about Skid Row's return with the first EP in this series, called United World Rebellion: Chapter One. Rachel Bolan himself admitted that the previous album was a "strange" one for the band and that in these songs they would be returning to the sound people expect from Skid Row. Yes, he's right! The EP, overall, is a relief for
fans like me who doubted Snake/Bolan and thought they would never again hear that old Hard/Heavy sound the band had. Fortunately, this also didn't turn the band into a caricature of what it once was, or force it to sound old school. It's Skid Rock from 2013, without being too nostalgic, experimental, or "modern." Let's get to the tracks:
Kings of Demolition: This song could easily be on the album Slave to the Grind, such is the impact of its opening and its catchy (in a good way) chorus. It also somewhat resembles the feel of Monkey Business, one of the highlights of the band's aforementioned second album. The vocal delivery is high and powerful. Johnny has some difficulty with the song live, from what I've seen on YouTube, but it doesn't detract from the performance. On the album it's devastating and, without a doubt, the best of them all.
Let's Go: Another slap in the face, with a great chorus. The faster tempo, great chorus, and Solinger's raspy vocals stand out, as does the excellent solo by the Snake/Hill duo, which starts doubled, alternates between the two, and finishes with fast, doubled phrases again.
This is killing me: It's great to hear Skid Row record a ballad again. But despite the beautiful solo (which sounds very much like it's by Scott Hill), Solinger's good vocals, and good production, the song doesn't have the same appeal as others the band has released, including the excellent "One Light" from the album Thickskin (also featuring Johnny Solinger on vocals). It's not a bad song, but it's certainly not as memorable.
Get Up: I found this song a bit strange. It starts off slow, with a heavy atmosphere, and great vocals and guitar riffs. Very much in the vein of the best songs from the Solinger era. Suddenly, after a great bridge, a chorus kicks in that seems out of place with the rest of the song. I might get used to the song after a while, but it feels like the chorus doesn't fit with the rest of the song, even though both are pretty good. This one deserves a few more listens.
Stitches: It starts with a bass and drum groove, reminiscent of the song New Generation but more exciting, the closing track of this EP is very heavy and exciting. The vocals are killer, great solos and a somewhat chaotic atmosphere, in short... A great song to close the work.
There were also two bonus tracks that weren't included on my version of the album (yes, I bought the CD!), but we can say that if future releases follow this same pattern, Skid Row has everything it takes to have a "second chance" and shine again on the world stage.
*This text was written by a Wikimate and does not necessarily represent the opinions of the site's authors.
Click here to see other texts by WikiBrother Marcel Ianuck.
