Skid Row – The Gang’s All Here – Album Review

14th October 2022 0 By George Simpson

Finally! At long long last Skid Row have finally rediscovered their mojo and delivered a worthy follow up to their classic Slave To The Grind album. It’s an album I still love to this day. It may have taken 31 years, four albums and four singers, but eventually they’ve delivered a cracking album that favourably stands up to it. This really is a cracker of an album.

So what’s different on this, their first full release in 16 years, give or take a few EP’s? The most important change is new vocalist, Eric Gronwall. He brings an attitude and swagger to proceedings as well as a killer voice, and singing range to match. He hits notes at both end of the spectrum with ease. Additionally, producer Nick Raskulinecz has given this obviously reinvigorated band a huge, powerful sound, with a huge bottom end. As a result, this album hits you between the ears like a freight train passing through.

The album bursts out the traps with Hell Or High Water. It boasts a heavy riff with all the swagger and raunch of Monkey Business. Though it must be said that the chorus does sound not too dissimilar to that albums Livin’ On A Chain Gang too. No bad thing, as it helps set the bar for what follows it in the next ten tracks. Keeping with a theme of comparisons, the title track sounds like a hybrid of Psycho Love and Riot Act, with a memorable chorus to boot. This is going to be a great track live. Though, the same could be said for much of the album, such is the strength of the material.

The sense of a rebirth for the band is also lyrically evident here too. The brilliant Not Dead Yet and Resurrected hammer this message home. The former’s claim that “You don’t throw dirt on an open casket” is particular true, as there is clearly a hell of a lot of life left in them yet.

It’s clear throughout that long standing trio of guitarists Dave ‘Snake’ Sabo and Scotti Hill and bassist Rachel Bolan, can still write very hooky, heavy riffs with added punk thrown in for good measure. The likes of Time Bomb, The Lights Come On and Tear It Down all boast memorable choruses and none of them would have sounded out of place on the first two records. Much like their early years, here once again, they manage to be catchy without ever sounding lightweight.

There is so much fire back in their bellies that things don’t slow down until we get to track nine of ten. Though thankfully October’s Song is far more In A Darkened Room than I Remember You in the ballad stakes. It’s a dark, brooding serious track that allows Eric to shine and show off his impressive vocal abilities once again. In truth it’s not really a ballad per se, just the closest thing to one here. No complaints from me though!

They have clearly rediscovered who they are musically again. Having been slightly off course since 1995’s confusing Subhuman Race, where they seemed a band trying to sound relevant at the time rather than being themselves, they are now back to doing what they do, and did best again. They now have great songs, and a fantastic singer so good I haven’t used the word Sebastian once, until now. Truly, the sound of a band who have finally moved on to a bright future..at last!!

Score: 9/10