Hard 20 |
Skintilla"Shedding Skin" These guys should have called this album "Shredding Skin", because that's what their music could do-shred the skin off your body! They play Pantera/Slayer influenced metal that is raw, aggressive, abrasive, hard as concrete, and hits you straight between the eyes, but is also technical and skillfully played. These guys are talented, tight as your old designer jeans, and kick some major ass! Vocalist Darren Pretty (don't be fooled by his name, he is not the kind of guy you'd bring home to mom!) actually SINGS, rather than just scream and torture his tonsils, like a Phil Anselmo wannabee, as too many singers seem to do today. Mr. Pretty actually reminded me of Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-Judas Priest/Iced Earth singer), and Darren's pretty damn good at what he does! Guitarists Jeremy Burgess and Jason Beveridge dish out a full force dual axe attack, cranking out some searing riffs and power chords, while bassist Kym Kranixfeld and drummer Peter Stewart make up a rhythm section that hits you in the face like a sledgehammer! Skintilla are one crushing metal machine!, at least on five of the six songs on this disc. The last song, "Silence", is a ballad, similar to Pantera's "Cemetery Gates", an ode to a lost friend. Quite a nice piece. These guys are a hell of a band, and hailing from Australia, could very well be the next "thunder from down under"! |