I have been quite busy this week, but I wanted to post some preliminary thoughts about the new Skid Row album, Revolutions Per Minute, due Tuesday via SPV Records. I have an advanced review copy and have listened to it once, so my commentary is likely to change when I post a full track-by-track album review shortly.
First off, this is a much different band than the one that recorded Skid Row or even Slave to the Grind. It's not simply that Sebastian Bach is gone and has been replaced by Johnny Solinger. The band no longer seems to want to focus on incorporating melodic riffs into their songwriting. Instead much of the album is garden variety '90s nü-metal aggression. More often than not Solinger is screaming instead of trying to get an '80s-like sheen to his voice. It's a matter of taste really, but my initial impression is that it doesn't work for me.
One of the great things about 2003's Thickskin was the sheer number of melodic, sing along moments. There's not one to be found on RPM, unless you count "You Lie," which is a very country-music inspired ditty. A few of the better moments on RPM include "When God Can't Wait," which sounds like a rowdy, Irish punk bar anthem and "Love Is Dead" (if I remember correctly) which sounds a little gothic, almost in the vein of Type O Negative. Full report to come . . .
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2 comments:
I don't care who the primary songwriters are, it just isn't Skid Row without Sebastian. Change the name or forget the whole thing.
I didn't like the last album, Thickskin (2003), and I didn't think they were inpressive live either.
What most Skid Row fans look for are the melodic hooks, the good riffs, and the sing-a-long chorus. Thickskin barely had it so I'll guess this one doesn't either.
I'll wait to get it used.
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