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│ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │
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│ P R E S E N T S │
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│ + Skid Row - Subhuman Race (Jap. Ed.) + │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Information ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Release Date.Mar-20-2015 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │
│║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │
│║ Year.........1995 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........14 ║ │
│║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.skidrow.com ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Notes ║ │
│╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Artist : Skid Row Rating : You Decide! ║ │
│║ Album : Subhuman Race (Jap. Ed.) Label : Atlantic ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Description : ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Before anyone reads the words before them, I ║ │
│║ have a sneaking suspicion that some might think ║ │
│║ my timing for this review is somewhat dubious. ║ │
│║ This is due, in part, to the fact that just days ║ │
│║ before I am composing this review, That Metal ║ │
│║ Show featured Skid Row guitarist Snake Sabo, and ║ │
│║ host Eddie Trunk went on and on about "Subhuman ║ │
│║ Race" and it became a running joke throughout ║ │
│║ the show. So much so, in fact, that it's ║ │
│║ probably the most TV coverage the album has ║ │
│║ possibly ever had. That's a shame, really, ║ │
│║ because this is quite possibly Skid Row's finest ║ │
│║ hour. And I don't say that as a TMS fanboy or ║ │
│║ someone who has recently discovered this gem. ║ │
│║ No, I've known this for years and have made it ║ │
│║ known to all I know who are even remotely fans ║ │
│║ of Skid Row that this was the best thing they ║ │
│║ ever did. I've been spinning this monster album ║ │
│║ for some 12 or 13 years, and it's the one I go ║ │
│║ back to most often. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ When most people think of Skid Row, they either ║ │
│║ hear the familiar chords and words of "I ║ │
│║ Remember You" or "18 and Life" running through ║ │
│║ their head. Maybe they remember the video of the ║ │
│║ latter and it's (at the time) strong imagery. Or ║ │
│║ perhaps they remember being wowed by how much ║ │
│║ heavier and more aggressive "Slave to the Grind" ║ │
│║ was compared to the band's eponymous debut. If ║ │
│║ they though that was a jump, wait until they ║ │
│║ hear the oft-forgotten followup. This album is ║ │
│║ absolutely teeming with aggression, power, riffs ║ │
│║ galore, impassioned vocals by the one and only ║ │
│║ Baz, and a sound so tight that it reeks of ║ │
│║ professionalism, despite some songs almost ║ │
│║ soundling like the band is about to come apart ║ │
│║ at the seems. And indeed, after this record, it ║ │
│║ did. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ From the roaring opening riff of "Enemy" it's ║ │
│║ clear this record will come out all guns ║ │
│║ blazing, and it doesn't disappoint. All but one ║ │
│║ of the initial tracks pummel the listener into ║ │
│║ submission with heavy riffing, heavy grooves, ║ │
│║ and Sebastian Bach's screaming vocals. While ║ │
│║ some may be initially put off by his increased ║ │
│║ use of screams, they shouldn't lose heart, ║ │
│║ because there's still tons of melody and it's ║ │
│║ plenty accessible, despite the harder exterior. ║ │
│║ In the wake of the grunge movement, many hard ║ │
│║ rock and commercial metal bands either got ║ │
│║ heavier, wimped out and went full-on glam, or ║ │
│║ succumbed to the grunge sound, adopting that and ║ │
│║ attempting to "keep with the times", much like ║ │
│║ Candlebox did (though rather unsuccessfully). ║ │
│║ Skid Row wisely avoids that pitfall, adopting ║ │
│║ only a bit of the "dirtiness" of the grunge ║ │
│║ sound, but keeping their identity in tact with ║ │
│║ heavy riffing and vocals that didn't reflect the ║ │
│║ quasi-dour and angsty vibe that many of the ║ │
│║ grunge bands put forth. Rather, Baz sounds truly ║ │
│║ pissed-off here much of the time, as he rails ║ │
│║ against everyone and everything for any reason ║ │
│║ or no reason at all. He glides seemlessly ║ │
│║ between smooth crooning and gritty, throaty ║ │
│║ vocals that sound like he's gargling driveway ║ │
│║ gravel and can belt out screams with the best of ║ │
│║ them and come right back down into a clean vocal ║ │
│║ again when the song requires. When he double- ║ │
│║ tracks over himself it produced great results in ║ │
│║ many situations, like in the chorus of "Medicine ║ │
│║ Jar" (which could easily have been a rock radio ║ │
│║ single). ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ Snake and Scotti are at their most aggressive ║ │
│║ here on guitars, but they are no less tuneful ║ │
│║ than they are anywhere else. In fact, on songs ║ │
│║ like "Eileen" and "Into Another" the band is as ║ │
│║ melodic and tasteful as they are in bigger hits, ║ │
│║ just with a slightly different approach. But ║ │
│║ monster riffs in songs like "Empty", "Frozen", ║ │
│║ "Beat Yourself Blind", and "Face Against My ║ │
│║ Soul" are just some of the treats you'll hear in ║ │
│║ this outing. This CD also has plenty of varied ║ │
│║ solo work, from the tasteful to the tasty - ║ │
│║ there are licks aplenty here. The twin guitar ║ │
│║ attack in "Medicine Jar" is a nice treat. Rachel ║ │
│║ Bolan thumps away on bass in the background ║ │
│║ keeping time with everyhitn well and never ║ │
│║ straying too far from the path, but the good ║ │
│║ production values on this disc allow you to ║ │
│║ actually hear what he's doing, and he sounds ║ │
│║ good underneath the heavier vibe Scotti and ║ │
│║ Snake lay down. Rob Affuso beats the drums as ║ │
│║ skillfully as always, and has a good sense of ║ │
│║ dynamics here that allows him to pound the tar ║ │
│║ out of them when need be, but he takes the time ║ │
│║ to keep things low-key and quiet when it serves ║ │
│║ the song. The extra use of double-bass is a nice ║ │
│║ touch in some songs, and Rob adds different ║ │
│║ flourishes here and there for effect, but his ║ │
│║ strength here is in really going after the ║ │
│║ pounding rhythms and accenting them slightly to ║ │
│║ give the songs additional weight. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ While the album may have its fair share of ║ │
│║ lyrical clumsiness at times, no Skid Row album ║ │
│║ with Baz at the vocal/lyrical helm is without ║ │
│║ that minor issue. There are moments where you ║ │
│║ feel like he's trying to hard to make a clever ║ │
│║ quip, but he misses the Steven Tyler mark ║ │
│║ sometimes, though what he ultimately comes up ║ │
│║ with fits contextually with the subject of the ║ │
│║ song. Most of the time, however, he hits the ║ │
│║ mark, coming up with a variety of subjects he ║ │
│║ expresses well, from self-deprecating humor to ║ │
│║ social unrest and outcry, to more inward and ║ │
│║ personal topics. While the album contains no ║ │
│║ "Quicksand Jesus" per se, it doesn't really need ║ │
│║ one because there's enough material here to ║ │
│║ stand up on its own. As it sits, "Into Another" ║ │
│║ is probably the album's biggest contender for ║ │
│║ the single that missed, as this song should have ║ │
│║ performed nicely on hard rock radio, much like ║ │
│║ Motley Crue's "Misunderstood" the previous year. ║ │
│║ And with massive grooves like those in "Enemy" ║ │
│║ and "Frozen", and "Ironwill", the album is ║ │
│║ stronger despite the lack of radio singles. Oh, ║ │
│║ and yes, you can ignore the faux-industrial ║ │
│║ thing a couple minutes after "Ironwill" ends - ║ │
│║ it's a typical throwaway "hidden" ditty. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ So what we end up with here is a highly ║ │
│║ listenable piece of work by a band that had more ║ │
│║ than their 15 minutes of fame, but should have ║ │
│║ had a few more to encompass this brilliant slab ║ │
│║ of molten hard rock and heavy metal. Nothing ║ │
│║ this band put out before or since matches the ║ │
│║ heaviness, power, or raw emotion of "Subhuman ║ │
│║ Race", and I suspect that unless something ║ │
│║ lights a fire under Snake and the boys, nothing ║ │
│║ will. I can't recommend this album enough to ║ │
│║ fans of hard rock, heavy metal, and Skid Row. ║ │
│║ Fans who were disappointed that Guns 'n Roses' ║ │
│║ "Use Your Illusion" albums weren't as hard ║ │
│║ hitting as "Appetite For Destruction" will find ║ │
│║ plenty to love here, and this may be the fix ║ │
│║ they'd been looking for 8 years after that ║ │
│║ masterpiece's release. I certainly did. Highly ║ │
│║ recommended. ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│║ ║ │
│╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │
│ │
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│╔═════════════════════╗ │
│║ Release Tracklist ║ │
│╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │
│ 01 - My Enemy [03:39] │
│ 02 - Firesign [04:54] │
│ 03 - Bonehead [02:16] │
│ 04 - Beat Yourself Blind [05:03] │
│ 05 - Eileen [05:37] │
│ 06 - Remains To Be Seen [03:34] │
│ 07 - Subhuman Race [02:40] │
│ 08 - Frozen [04:44] │
│ 09 - Into Another [04:03] │
│ 10 - Face Against My Soul [04:21] │
│ 11 - Medicine Jar [03:36] │
│ 12 - Breakin' Down [04:31] │
│ 13 - Ironwill [04:41] │
│ 14 - Frozen (Demo Version) (Bonus Track) [08:41] │
│ │
│ Total Length : [62:20 minn │
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│ ╔═════════════════════╗ │
│ ║ Greetings To: ║ │
│ ╚═════════════════════╝ │
│ │
│ Too all people who contributes to make this │
│ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │
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│ │
│■ ■│
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