What a great EP the Canadian old schoolers have to offer!
Skull Fist finds themselves a spot in the wave of newer bands, playing solid 80's Metal. Compared to many of their peers, the band has a more American style, leaning towards early Power Metal bands like
Riot and mixing in more Sleaze oriented elements, alá
Mötley Crüe. It's uptempo, rather simple but really rocking music. This is going to sound cheesy, but actually it wasn't until I tried playing the EP really loud that I realized its greatness. All the details became more apparent, just like the vocals of
Jackie Slaughter really blew my mind! This disc has to be played a maximum volume to make the music justice.
Sign Of The Warrior opens the ball in high octane Speed Metal style, fast, powerful and captivating.
The attitude-filled titletrack,
Heavier Than Metal is very melodic, but still uncompromising, asskicking Metal. For the style, it is rather original, and has some captivating guitar work. I have really come to enjoy the vocals of Jackie Slaughter. He reminds me a lot about a young Vince Neil, which help give the music the "Metalled-up
Mötley Crüe" feel. This track really shows the diversity of his talent, his natural voice has a really great tone, but it is the way he hits the high pitch that seals the deal and takes you to Heavy Metal Heaven!
Blackout is a good example of the bands sound, mixing the more melodic aspects of the Glam/Sleaze scene with the heaviness and speed of traditional and Power Metal. Great guitarlicks, a shouted out chorus, high soaring vocals and hard pounding drums all flow together, creating a high octane bonfire of madness! This is like a lost
Mötley Crüe track on speed.
No False Metal is of course an anthem to all things Metal that has me pumping my fist to the sky and using the hairbrush as a microphone! It has that anthemic quality to it that makes you want to scream along! The song is a testament to the band's dedication to Heavy Metal, and when playing this style, the attitude is an important ingredient. That the band members are genuine rockers, living the Metal lifestyle makes the EP feels like an honest product, not just a tribute to the past.
The songwriting is overall very good, the songs are catchy and has a high energy level, and there's more to the music than just repeated choruses. The band is very good at spicing things up by changing the tempo and structure of the song unexpectedly. The music miss just a tad to be really spectacular, some of the oh-oh-chants seem a little misplaced as well as some songs are a bit too redundant and don't evolve as much as they could have. Nevertheless, a solid effort that promises well for the future of the band. I will be eagerly awaiting Skull Fist's full length debut!
Written by
Nina Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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