SKID ROW: The Gang's All Here (HARD ROCK): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

Since "Slave To The Grind" (1991), Skid Row's journey looks like a long descent into hell. Following the ousting of Sebastian Bach and Rob Affuso, the New Jersey quintet has almost consumed more singers and drummers than it has produced albums. And then a thunderclap resounds at the beginning of 2022 with the unexpected arrival of Erik Grönwall (ex H.E.A.T.). Unexpected but not incoherent when we know the passion of the Swede for Rachel Bolan's gang. Looking like a last chance operation, this recruitment seems nevertheless to have created a real electroshock which leads to a new album entitled "The Gang's All Here".

Produced by Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Rush, Mastodon, Korn, etc...), this opus is certainly one of the best surprises of the year. It is not a coincidence if some pieces are entitled 'Not Dead Yet' or 'Resurrected' because it is indeed a real resurrection that we are witnessing here. The riffs are fat and powerful, the choruses catchy and unifying and Erik Grönwall imposes himself as the worthy successor of Baz, without ever trying to mimic him. The whole this is varied and never decreases in intensity, even during the power ballad 'October's Song' which spreads its dramatic intensity over seven minutes in an atmosphere worthy of 'In A Darkened Room'. From the heavy and powerful opener 'Hell Or High Water' to a 'World's On Fire' carried by a huge bass and nice cross-over duel of the Sabo / Hill pair, there's nothing to throw away.

No dead time to report but some peaks that it would be a shame to ignore. For example the single 'Time Bomb', heavy and reptilian mid-tempo alternating dark and crawling verses with explosive choruses and whose gimmick based on tic-tic becomes quickly addictive. As for 'Tear It Down', it crushes any form of resistance, a real unifying anthem with a power and intensity that will hurt in the pit during the next concerts.

Energetic from start to finish, "The Gang's All Here" is the miracle we no longer expected for Skid Row. It is simply the album that we would have liked to see released in 1992 and that would have allowed the band to confirm all the hopes that its first two opuses had given birth to. A real rejuvenation for its leaders, the integration of Erik Grönwall is also a confirmation of his talent and the opportunity to enjoy an album as pleasing as unexpected. - Official website

SKID ROW

THE GANG'S ALL HERE

EAR MUSIC

HARD ROCK