Skid Row Albums (5)
What The Critics Say
For many, the face of Skid Row will always be that of outspoken frontman Sebastian Bach. But since the late '90s, three original members of the band have been carrying on the Skid Row name without Bach and instead with Johnny Solinger manning the mic. 2006 saw the release of the second Solinger-era Skid Row release, Revolutions Per Minute, and the group's sound remains largely the same. In other words, you get the same angry-yet-melodic riff rockers that you long ago came to expect from the group, while Solinger's singing style isn't that far removed from Bach's. Longtime fans will be happy to learn that the producer of their hit 1989 self-titled debut is back again behind the boards, Michael Wagener (whose '80s metal résumé is extremely extensive and includes Accept, Dokken, Megadeth, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.). However, tracks such as "Disease" and "Another Dick in the System" seem to follow the tougher approach of their post-Skid Row releases, while the lyrics to "Shut Up Baby, I Love You" and "White Trash" are pure '80s metal cliché. Revolutions Per Minute is just what you'd expect from Skid Row -- for better or for worse. ~ Greg Prato, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
When Skid Row reunited without Sebastian Bach in 2000 and hired Johnny Solinger as their new lead singer, many longtime fans were understandably skeptical. Some were hostile to the very idea, arguing that a Skid Row reunion without Bach would be like a Led Zeppelin reunion without Robert Plant, or a Nirvana reunion without the late Kurt Cobain -- in other words, they saw Bach as irreplaceable and indispensable. Period. But Thickskin, Skid Row's first studio album with the expressive Solinger, is surprisingly good, although it should be stressed that this 2003 release is hardly a carbon copy of the band's Atlantic output of the late '80s and early- to mid-'90s. Instead, Skid Row updates their sound, offering a more modern approach (by early 2000s standards) that is obviously cognizant of alternative rock tastes. It isn't as dramatic a makeover as Tommy Lee gave himself after leaving Mötley Crüe and forming Methods of Mayhem, but it certainly isn't a dose of hair band nostalgia, either. Those who expect the Skid Row of 2003 to sound exactly like the old Bach-era Skid Row are bound to be disappointed; those who are open to a more alternative-friendly outlook will find a lot to like about this melodic yet hard-driving effort, which fuses elements of Slave to the Grind and Subhuman Race with an awareness of the sort of post-grunge sound one would expect from the Foo Fighters, Silverchair, Creed, or Default. It's an appealing combination, although some diehard Bach loyalists will inevitably insist that an alterna-rock version of Skid Row isn't really Skid Row. Regardless, this is a decent outing -- one that falls short of essential, but is still a respectable demonstration of the band's ability to revamp their sound and carry on without Bach. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Skid Row waited out the grunge storm and returned in 1995 with Subhuman Race, their strongest and most vicious record to date. Abandoning most of the pop-metal posturing of their early hit albums, Skid Row strip back their music to the basics -- roaring guitars and Sebastian Bach's shriek. It wasn't a hit the size of Slave to the Grind, yet it made an impressive showing, climbing into the Top 40. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Skid Row gets harder and heavier on their sophomore effort, matching Sebastian Bach's gritty, streetwise rants to lean, driving riffs that manage to back up all the attitudinal posturing. Largely missing are the bits of pop-metal fluff that filled out Skid Row; in their place are tales from the dark side about drugs, corruption, and the like, with Bach affecting a tough, threatening persona most of the time. The furious noise kicked up behind Bach is usually more threatening than his overwrought vocal delivery, but Slave to the Grind is powerful enough that it doesn't really matter. "Monkey Business," "Get the Fuck Out," and the thrashy title track crush most anything on the debut, and power ballads like "Quicksand Jesus" and "Wasted Time" are far less generic than their Skid Row counterparts. Many observers were surprised when Slave to the Grind became the first heavy metal album to debut at number one on the Billboard charts, but it really was one of the best -- and heaviest -- examples of mainstream hard rock/heavy metal in the genre's MTV heyday. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The material on Skid Row is mostly typical pop-metal fluff, but since Skid Row was one of the hardest bands to find commercial success during the hair metal fad, the songs sound angrier and more aggressive than the lyrics and hooks might indicate. Part of this is due simply to the musical talent in the band, and part of it is due to vocalist Sebastian Bach; his tendency to oversing actually gives some much-needed nasty attitude to most of the songs, and when the music does match those sentiments (i.e., "Youth Gone Wild"), the results fulfill, rather than merely hint at, Skid Row's potential. But the melodies and songwriting are pretty consistent throughout the album, even if they aren't as close to true heavy metal as they sound. The hit power ballads "18 and Life" and "I Remember You" are musically generic, but Bach's over the top delivery makes them guilty pleasures as well. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
