I was first introduced to the world of hard rock in 1992, the cultural impact of grunge hadn’t hit yet and I was hearing albums that were relatively new then but are now considered influential classics left and right. Among them was Skid Row’s underrated album Subhuman Race, that was my introduction to the band and it was a powerful one. To many it might be the lesser album of the Bach era and I agree, but I still think it’s a great record in it’s own right.
In the very same way those older hard rock bands and albums had an impact on a young version of me, The new bands carrying the torch for that style of rock and albums they’re putting out are really inspiring me in the present. Among those new bands carrying the torch of great rock n roll is H.E.A.T, a swedish band that was fronted for a decade by Skid Row’s new singer Erik Grönwall. I’m going to be honest here, the story of Skid Row getting one of the greatest singers currently in rock isn’t the exciting story here, The real exciting story is the story of Erik’s career and how it came full circle with him joining this band, it’s the sort of story that seems like it was written for a movie.
Erik entered the Swedish Idol competition by covering “18 and life” a song he loved and covered while working at a karaoke bar, he eventually won that competition and recorded two solo albums before being chosen as the new singer of Swedish melodic rock legends H.E.A.T. Over the course of a decade that band would achieve greater musical heights and wider recognition, Erik recorded four studio albums with them before leaving the band. During his time afterward Erik found out he had leukemia, He successfully battled that disease and it strengthened his resolve towards life. Earlier this year he collaborated with his fellow h.e.a.t bandmate and released an album of power metal songs under the band name New Horizon.
It wasn’t long after that that Erik was asked by Skid Row’s Bassist Rachel Bolan to record some vocals for a new Skid Row song, that song ended up being the title track of this album. The band was impressed by Erik’s vocals and eventually asked him if he wanted to join the band, performing with him for the first time earlier this year in Las Vegas when Skid Row opened for The Scorpions. Just imagine for a second that you could sing and you have the opportunity to sing for one of your favourite bands, you’d be crazy not to take it, right?! Here he is fronting a band that he started his career covering a song by, that’s a full circle moment. He’s a fan like you, and he’s up there singing his guts out and clearly having the time of his life, I saw them play in Henderson, Nevada at the end of July and they are incredible live. You can really feel the excitement and passion this band is playing with currently and it shows on this album in spades, This is the sound fans love from this band and Skid Row is sounding the best they have since Slave to the grind.
The album comes roaring out of the speakers with “Hell or high water” which has some riffs that really remind me of their song “Psycho Love” the guitars groove and shred, the drums swing and hit hard, Erik is singing with attitude and just weaves his way around the song and the song keeps kicking your ass until a tasty melodic interlude kicks in before going full gear again, this is how you should start an album, come out swinging like you have something to prove and this track makes it’s point very well indeed. The title track and albums first single begins with a great bass intro courtesy of Rachel Bolan, this song to me is a good fusion of early skid row and where they’re going in the present. This song is KILLER live!
The assault continues with “Not dead yet” which starts off with an almost early Guns N’ Roses riff, like something that would’ve been on appetite for destruction.
“Time bomb” goes for a slightly slowed down tempo with some awesome bass lines and drumming that Erik vocally glides over, this song grooves and positively slams despite not being as big on shredding as the first three songs are, the guitar solo here is a thing of beauty, the combination of technique, attitude, and melody in it is incredible. “Resurrected” brings back the energetic playing this band is know for and WOW are Dave “Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill as badass of guitar players as they ever were, the riffs and solos on this album are incredible, the guitar solo in this song shreds!
“Nowhere fast” starts out with a riff that reminds me of the heavier side of Subhuman Race, The incendiary playing here hits hard but is injected with a great deal of melody in the chorus and Erik’s vocals really help drive that melody. A blistering solo cuts through the biting riffs, this song should be played as loud as possible.
“When the lights come on” treads a similar musical terrain as the title track, a good grooving track with a great bass line and guitars, This song will get you moving.
“Tear it down” impressed the hell out of me when I first heard it, it punches, it grooves, it’s got great riffs, and it’s definitely a very anthemic track. This is both classic Skid Row and yet very fresh sounding, There’s a lot of gang vocals on the track but with how Erik weaves his vocal magic around it I think it works really effectively, I think if I have a minor complaint here it’s that when that chorus kicks in they have the gang vocals a little too close to the lead in the volume of the mix. But that aside I think it’s an incredible track that definitely deserved to be chosen as a single.
“October’s song” is the most different sounding track on this album, it has a fast clean melody being played while the beautiful bass line here just sways, these melodies just dance with each other and it’s captivating, the drums perfectly setting the pace. Erik does melodic vocals insanely well and I think he really gets to flex here, this doesn’t sound like any Skid Row track I’ve ever heard but it’s haunting. The chorus goes for a heavier mid tempo pace with soaring vocals on top of it, the guitars in this song are positively fascinating to analyze with all the twists and turns they make. This is in my view the most forward thinking song on the album.
“World on fire” ends the album with an energetic song that would’ve fit well on either of their first two albums, it starts with a riff that slightly reminds me of their song “forever ” before going way heavier than that song.
This album is incredible! It’s everything I hoped it would be as a fan of both Skid Row and Erik Grönwall, it pulls no punches and doesn’t cease to be impressive. Musically it’s brilliant! It’s everything fans love about the early records with the exception of the fact that it has no ballads, which was really a smart decision I think. Because as much as I LOVE “In a darkened room” “wasted time” and “Breakin” down” these guys really needed to come out swinging with this one and they hit it out of the park, The playing is jaw dropping and so is Erik’s singing on this album. This record I think is more along the lines of what fans wanted as a follow up to slave to the grind, Skid Row are back with a vengeance and this is an album that every hard rock fan needs to own, definitely a strong contender for album of the year.
10/10
