Veteran hard rock group SKID ROW will enter a Nashville, Tennessee recording studio next week with producer Michael Wagener — who also helmed the group's 1989 self-titled debut and 1991's "Slave To The Grind" — to begin tracking the final chapter of the band's "United World Rebellion" trilogy. The album will mark SKID ROW's first release with South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), who joined the band in 2016 following the departure of Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER). The effort will feature collaborations with several outside songwriters, including Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR) and Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger of HALESTORM, a group that covered the title track of "Slave To The Grind" on its "ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP" in 2011. SKID ROW also worked with songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow. Unlike 2014's "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" and 2013's "United World Rebellion: Chapter One", SKID ROW's forthcoming release will be a full-length record. In an interview with Metal Wani last fall, bassist Rachel Bolan voiced excitement about the direction of the group's new material. "When we play it for people," he said, "they're like, 'Oh my God! This could be the second half of 'Slave To The Grind' or 'This could have been right before 'Youth Gone Wild' on the first record.' It's a really good feeling. And Michael Wagener, he pulls no punches when it comes to telling his opinions of what he thinks of the songs, which is great — that's what you need a producer to do. And he [told] us, 'This is some of the best shit you guys have written, for real.' So that makes me feel really good, because I really respect his opinion." SKID ROW will perform at a number of high-profile European festivals in 2019, including Germany's Bang Your Head!!!, the U.K.'s Download, Sweden Rock Festival and Norway Rock '19. The group's next scheduled performances will be aboard the annual Monsters Of Rock cruise, which departs from Miami on February 24. Earlier this month, Rhino released a 30th-anniversary remastered digital reissue of SKID ROW's quintuple-platinum 1989 debut album, which featured the hits "Youth Gone Wild", "18 & Life" and "I Remember You". The reissue also includes "Forever", a b-side recorded during the sessions for the album that previously appeared on the 1998 greatest-hits compilation "40 Seasons: The Best Of Skid Row", and a 10-track live performance recorded on April 26, 1989 at the Marquee in Westminster, California. SKID ROW 2019 is: ZP Theart - vocals Rachel Bolan - bass Dave "Snake" Sabo - guitar Scotti Hill - guitars Rob Hammersmith - drums
Continue reading...
Continue reading...
