It’s hard to beat those first 3 Skid Row records. A band with one foot planted in the 80s “pop-metal,” and the other firmly planted in heavier, more-progressive endeavors, they were on course to bridge the gap between 80s and 90s heavy-music trends. Of course, the seismic shift in sound on the criminally underrated ‘Subhuman Race’ was misunderstood by the band’s fanbase, and that plus Sebastian Bach’s enormous ego (and Kiss fandom) stopped them dead in their tracks in 1996.
Post-Bach, the band found moderate success as a live band and managed to release a couple of serviceable records in the early aughts with Johnny Solinger on vocals, but the excitement around the band was at a minimum. Right around the time that the oddly matched vocalist ZP Theart (Dragonforce) joined the Skids in 2016, Swedish rockers H.E.A.T were making a splash with a heavy sound reminiscent of 80s hard-rock/metal. Their golden-throated singer Erik Grönwall’s future looked bright. A Swedish Idol winner, solo artist, and lauded musical theater performer, Grönwall, who did a spot-on cover of “18 and Life” during his Idol audition, was a shoo-in for the Skid Row singer spot and was announced as the replacement for a departing Theart this past March.
As is often the case with these things, standing on the shoulders of giants, Grönwall does Sebastian Bach better than Bach does these days. Chalk some of that up to youth, but while Grönwall is the more technical singer, he lacks Bach’s singular gifts for unbridled emotiveness, sheer raw power, and daft originality.
Once you get past all of this, it all comes down to whether the songs are any good, and the answer is yes.
The lead-off track “Hell or High Water” is a nice start. While I count references to at least 3 other Skid Row tracks, it’s an effective opener offering the promise of a fruitful new era. Self-referencing the band’s classic albums is a safe bet and there’s no shame in it, look at the Ramones, who the Skid’s dutifully covered in their salad days. One of a handful of tracks that deals in Skid Row’s heavier tendencies, the song rides a snaking riff to a mid-song breakdown that showcases Grönwall’s vocal dynamics and a lead-break send-off showcasing the still germane talents of founding guitarists Dave Sabo and Scotti Hill.
“Time Bomb” is an excellent track marred by a goofy “tick-tick-tick boom” chorus. Still, it’s a record highlight that effectively melds more aggressive leanings with a catchy chorus. Its heavy groove highlights the interplay between Rachel Bolan’s thick bass with relative newcomer Rob Hammersmith’s drums. Notably, this track represents one of a handful that showcases what Grönwal is capable of when he sidesteps Bach-like melodies and inflections.
The after-party anthem “When the Lights Come On” combines by-the-numbers Skid Row with an almost 70s glam element. Don’t get me wrong, the years have been kind to the men of a certain vintage in Skid Row (on a scale of Vince Neil to Tommy Lee, they collectively fall closer to the latter), but it’s hard to imagine anyone but Grönwall wanting to go anywhere when the lights come on other than to bed.
“Resurrected” and “Nowhere Fast” are aggressive numbers that prove that there’s life in the old boy after all; and while part of me would prefer to hear these songs in reverb-drenched 80s perfection, Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains) lets the music do the talking with clean, no-frills production.
Saving the best for last, ‘The Gang’s All Here’ concludes with the haunting “October’s Song” and the heavy send-off of “World on Fire”. The former is a lengthy progressive leaning track steeped in the sounds of ‘Slave to the Grind’s’ career-defining ballads. Featuring an excellent and original vocal turn by Grönwall, who can go neck-to-neck with some of the genre’s best vocalists, and an awesome song-within-a-song lead break, it’s a standout that promises a bright future if the band can continue to refine their chemistry. “World on Fire”, a blast of fiery classic metal authority marks an ellipsis on a record that should give Skid Row fans old and new hope for the future.
‘The Gang’s All Here’ is the best thing Skid Row has released since ‘Subhuman Race’. While it doesn’t break any new ground musically, it’s a testimonial to the perseverance of a band that have spent the last 25+ years toiling in the shadow of their heyday.