I’ve been a Skid Row fan since
1989, when I first heard “18 and Life”. Ah, the glory days of heavy metal and
hair metal! Like many Skid Row fans, for me, Sebastian Bach was the voice of
the band. I lost interest after he left/was fired from the band. When they
released Thickskin in 2003 with new
frontman Johnny Solinger, I sampled a few songs and didn’t care for it. The
band would go on to follow it up with Revolutions
Per Minute in 2006 (again with Solinger) and it was pretty much the same
deal for me—the magic was gone. The band released some EPs, went through two
other singers after Solinger’s exit, but never managed to record full-length albums
with them. There were even rumours of a reunion with Bach a few years ago. In
early 2019, work began on what would become this new record titled The Gang’s All Here, at the time with former
DragonForce vocalist ZP Theart. It would not come to fruition as the band would
part ways with Theart.
In February of 2022, the band
approached 2009 Swedish Idol winner and lead singer of the band H.E.A.T., Erik Grönwall,
to replace Theart. Grönwall’s favourite band of all-time is Skid Row, so this
was a dream come true for him. He officially joined Skid Row in March of this
year. They never actually spent time in the studio together with their new lead
singer to record their sixth LP, The Gang’s
All Here, and while the rest of the band recorded their parts without Grönwall,
he recorded his vocals alone in his studio in Sweden. They finally met a few
days prior to performing as an opening act for the Scorpions in Las Vegas and went
on to tour about 45 shows during this past spring and summer. Less than seven
months after Erik Grönwall became the new voice of Skid Row, we have a brand-new
album. This all sounds like something straight out of a Hollywood movie, doesn’t
it? But what about this new record, you ask? Is it worthy of Skid Row’s heyday?
The answer is a resounding yes!
For those who lost track, the
current lineup is Dave "The Snake" Sabo on lead/rhythm guitars, Rachel
Bolan on bass, Scotti Hill on rhythm/lead guitars, Rob Hammersmith on drums,
and Erik Grönwall on lead vocals. The
Gang’s All Here opens with a superb banger, “Hell or High Water” in which Grönwall
sounds like Jon Bon Jovi at times. This guy has a solid set of pipes! Next up
is the title track, which was also the first single, and it’s a great rallying
tune. A lot of Skid Row fans didn’t react so well to this song, some saying
that it’s the weakest track on the record. If that’s the weakest song on here,
then it just shows how strong of an album it is! I personally love it. “Not
Dead Yet” sounds like vintage Skid Row, with echoes of Sabastian Bach. “Time
Bomb”, the third and latest single, is catchy as hell and full of energy. “Resurrected”,
“Nowhere Fast”, and “When the Lights Come On” are standout sing-along songs,
with awesome guitar solos and memorable melodies. “Tear It Down” was the second
single and first video we saw of the new lineup and it’s an instant classic
Skid Row song through and through. I never tire of it and it’s bound to become a
staple of live shows. “October’s Song” is epic and absolutely phenomenal! The only
slow song on the LP, running at seven minutes in length, this one has it all. “World’s
on Fire” is a great closer with a commentary on the state of the world today.
The
Gang’s All Here is easily Skid Row’s best album since 1991’s Slave to the Grind. Grönwall is a breath
of fresh air and he injects much-needed vigour into this band. There’s no
filler on this album, all ten tracks are first-rate heavy metal gems. While it’s
not as heavy and aggressive as Slave,
it would fit in nicely between their self-titled debut and Slave to the Grind in terms of sound. If you’ve ever been a Skid
Row fan and aren’t acquainted with this new lineup, then I urge you to
reintroduce yourself to this band, it’ll be worth your while. Even if you weren’t
into Skid Row back in the day (or if you weren’t born when they were at their
peak), you should really take it for a spin. The Gang’s All Here comes highly recommended for fans of heavy
metal, of course, as well as hard rock and hair metal. It’s a definite Album of
the Year contender for me. I can’t wait to hear their follow-up to it once they’re
all in the studio together and to have Grönwall give some creative input beyond
singing. I cross my fingers that I’ll get to see them if they play near me
while on tour in the coming months.
Skid Row’s The Gang’s All Here on vinyl, CD, and digital: https://skidrow.lnk.to/TheGangsAllHereAlbum
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