Skinlab - Nerve Damage
Century Media Records - 74465-2 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
According to who you talk to, long-running Californian hardcore/thrashers Skinlab are either a criminally-underrated metal act who seem to have an uncanny knack of missing oppotunities, or a deservedly unsuccessful Machine Head-lite. In my opinion, neither of these points of view are right. The simple fact is Skinlab are just... well, alright. Their three full-length albums thus far have demonstrated both the band's knack at crafting a damned good, get-the-mosh-pit-moving metal anthem when the fancy takes them, and their horrifying inconsistency. Last full length ReVolting Room saw the band stripping down their songs, pushing up the production values, and in the process losing fans who saw them to be going all nu-metal. The poor guys can't win, can they? Now, two members have jumped ship (continuing a tradition of the revolving door membership policy Skinlab have been cursed with), and the time seems right to release a 2-disc, 34-track, 140-minute round up of the band's career. Er, does it?
Well, whatever the motivation, one can't argue with a package this comprehensive. You get two unreleased tracks recorded after the last album, 'Losing All' and 'Beneath The Surface' (which both bode well for a return to heaviosity on Skinlab's next album), the entirety of their rare-as-politician's-honesty EPs Suffer and Eyesore, pre-production tracks, live tracks, a dodgy dance remix, an acoustic track and a (frankly quite unforgivable) cover of The Smashing Pumpkins' 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'. So, it's a pretty comprehensive package, which really does show Skinlab in all its shape and glory. Which means that the best tracks (such as the bulldozing 'Jesus Cells', savage hardcore gem 'So Far From The Truth' and punchy, grunge-metal bruiser 'When Pain Comes To Surface') are absolute gems which show Skinlab at their most focussed, forceful and effective.
Sadly, it also shows the inconsistency alluded to earlier. For instance, 'Come Get It' starts off sounding like The Union Underground and never really recovers, while the live version of 'Purify' sounds a little underwhelming, but is positively anthemic compared to its skeletal acoustic rendition. Also, the pre-production demo tracks sound thin and lack the beefy sound required to convey the brutality attempted. On the plus side, pretty much everything that a hardcore Skinlab fan could ever want has been included here, but it's hard to see Nerve Damage winning the group any new fans.
6.5/10
Skinlab Official Website
Century Media Records Website
Century Media Records - 74465-2 - 2004
By Philip Whitehouse
According to who you talk to, long-running Californian hardcore/thrashers Skinlab are either a criminally-underrated metal act who seem to have an uncanny knack of missing oppotunities, or a deservedly unsuccessful Machine Head-lite. In my opinion, neither of these points of view are right. The simple fact is Skinlab are just... well, alright. Their three full-length albums thus far have demonstrated both the band's knack at crafting a damned good, get-the-mosh-pit-moving metal anthem when the fancy takes them, and their horrifying inconsistency. Last full length ReVolting Room saw the band stripping down their songs, pushing up the production values, and in the process losing fans who saw them to be going all nu-metal. The poor guys can't win, can they? Now, two members have jumped ship (continuing a tradition of the revolving door membership policy Skinlab have been cursed with), and the time seems right to release a 2-disc, 34-track, 140-minute round up of the band's career. Er, does it?
Well, whatever the motivation, one can't argue with a package this comprehensive. You get two unreleased tracks recorded after the last album, 'Losing All' and 'Beneath The Surface' (which both bode well for a return to heaviosity on Skinlab's next album), the entirety of their rare-as-politician's-honesty EPs Suffer and Eyesore, pre-production tracks, live tracks, a dodgy dance remix, an acoustic track and a (frankly quite unforgivable) cover of The Smashing Pumpkins' 'Bullet With Butterfly Wings'. So, it's a pretty comprehensive package, which really does show Skinlab in all its shape and glory. Which means that the best tracks (such as the bulldozing 'Jesus Cells', savage hardcore gem 'So Far From The Truth' and punchy, grunge-metal bruiser 'When Pain Comes To Surface') are absolute gems which show Skinlab at their most focussed, forceful and effective.
Sadly, it also shows the inconsistency alluded to earlier. For instance, 'Come Get It' starts off sounding like The Union Underground and never really recovers, while the live version of 'Purify' sounds a little underwhelming, but is positively anthemic compared to its skeletal acoustic rendition. Also, the pre-production demo tracks sound thin and lack the beefy sound required to convey the brutality attempted. On the plus side, pretty much everything that a hardcore Skinlab fan could ever want has been included here, but it's hard to see Nerve Damage winning the group any new fans.
6.5/10
Skinlab Official Website
Century Media Records Website
