On paper, a musical blend of metal, reggae, rock and dub sounds mouth-watering. The creative possibilities at disposal are that much broader than your average rock band, so, Newport’s SKINDRED really should of taken full advantage of this and established themselves as one of the biggest bands of their generation. Then, why aren’t they? Albums, that’s why. Since the first album “Babylon” (which was released not once, but THREE times), Skindred have never REALLY delivered in the studio, gaining more critical acclaim from their live shows instead. 2014 sees them try to change all of this with the brand new 5th album; “Kill The Power”
The opening title track has a slight HOUSE OF PAIN - “Jump Around” sound to it, before the nu-metal style riffs kick in. It shifts between reggae-hop and heaviness every so often not really allowing the track to take-off, however it’s not a bad start. “Ruling Force” follows up with more focus on guitars this time round, building up to what potentially seems like a huge sounding rock track, but it quickly switches to a PRODIGY style electronic piece. Everything swaps so freely from verse to chorus, multiple genre shifts make it an interesting listen but, it lacks fluidity as a song.
“Playing With The Devil” begins with this really mellow, ambient reggae feel, some brief interludes of dub-step fueling the songs chorus but it’s generally one of the albums more laid back numbers. “Worlds On Fire” has a similar approach, just more up-beat and the dub-step has been replaced by guitars and a rockier vibe, it’s grittier and one of the albums better tracks. “The Kids Are Right Now” is another highlight, a quality melodic rock track, nothing over complicated here, while “Open Eyed” features some fresh sounding guest vocals from the multi-talented JENNA G, before “Saturday” then throws in some American punk-pop influences to the already eclectic mix.
Essentially, Benji Webbe and co have again, written and recorded a decent album, but still haven’t managed to capture the spark they have on the live stage. It goes to show really that Skindred are, for all intents and purposes, a real band. Playing to a live crowd with no safety net, no 2nd takes or restarts is where these guys excel, and that’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s raw and it’s real. Buy yourself a copy of “Kill The Power”, learn the words, then book a ticket for their next tour. THAT is where you’re going to fully appreciate what Skindred are all about. [6.5]
Download: “The Kids Are Right Now”, "Open Eyed"
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/kill-the-power/id689237260
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skindredofficial
The opening title track has a slight HOUSE OF PAIN - “Jump Around” sound to it, before the nu-metal style riffs kick in. It shifts between reggae-hop and heaviness every so often not really allowing the track to take-off, however it’s not a bad start. “Ruling Force” follows up with more focus on guitars this time round, building up to what potentially seems like a huge sounding rock track, but it quickly switches to a PRODIGY style electronic piece. Everything swaps so freely from verse to chorus, multiple genre shifts make it an interesting listen but, it lacks fluidity as a song.
“Playing With The Devil” begins with this really mellow, ambient reggae feel, some brief interludes of dub-step fueling the songs chorus but it’s generally one of the albums more laid back numbers. “Worlds On Fire” has a similar approach, just more up-beat and the dub-step has been replaced by guitars and a rockier vibe, it’s grittier and one of the albums better tracks. “The Kids Are Right Now” is another highlight, a quality melodic rock track, nothing over complicated here, while “Open Eyed” features some fresh sounding guest vocals from the multi-talented JENNA G, before “Saturday” then throws in some American punk-pop influences to the already eclectic mix.
Essentially, Benji Webbe and co have again, written and recorded a decent album, but still haven’t managed to capture the spark they have on the live stage. It goes to show really that Skindred are, for all intents and purposes, a real band. Playing to a live crowd with no safety net, no 2nd takes or restarts is where these guys excel, and that’s rock ‘n’ roll. It’s raw and it’s real. Buy yourself a copy of “Kill The Power”, learn the words, then book a ticket for their next tour. THAT is where you’re going to fully appreciate what Skindred are all about. [6.5]
Download: “The Kids Are Right Now”, "Open Eyed"
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/kill-the-power/id689237260
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skindredofficial
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