ALBUM REVIEW: The 1.21 Gigawatts Club – SkeleToon
The Back To The Future franchise is one that, despite being nearly 35 years old, still remains oddly relevant in modern pop culture. So much so that 2021 is seeing the debut of not one, but two musical reinterpretations of its legacy. For stage fans, Back To The Future The Musical has just hit theatres here in the UK. However, for the more metal-minded, the self-proclaimed “Nerd Metal” outfit SKELETOON have you covered with their latest album, The 1.21 Gigawatts Club. If the name wasn’t a dead giveaway, SKELETOON’s latest is a concept record based on the film franchise, providing a suitably over-the-top tribute to the time-traveling trials and tribulations of Marty McFly.
Before jumping in to the music itself, it has to be mentioned that The 1.21 Gigawatts Club is coming out just over a year after SKELETOON’s last release, the energetically upbeat Nemesis. Clearly a band that show no intention of slowing down, SKELETOON manage to take many aspects of what made Nemesis so great and refine and expand upon them. The result is a broadly more even and consistent album, thanks in no small part due to the laser focus of its theme, that even sees the band dabble with some new sounds.
Let’s be clear though, this is still a power metal album through and through. Lightning-fast guitars, Tomi Fooler’s silky smooth vocals, and relentless double kick pedals provide the musical bedding for the majority of the tracks here. SKELETOON are undeniably a band that has spent plenty of time kneeling at the altar of HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY and STRATOVARIUS, and their dedication to a catchy chorus backed by metallic speed is unwavering. At moments throughout the album, the band lean sideways in to the eccentricities of the genre, ensuring choirs upon choirs of backing vocals; melodic metal standouts like We Don’t Need Roads feature enough layered vocals to make even Hansi Kürsch take notice.
Yet, to make the record more appropriate to Back To The Future’s era, a number of AOR and pop influences seep in to The 1.21 Gigawatts Club, either as inspirations or more often as clear, on-the-nose references to other songs. One of the album’s catchiest moments is The Pinheads, a mid-paced rocker that sounds like RECKLESS LOVE trying to write a QUEEN song. As the song’s guitar solo continues to build, backing synths suspiciously reminiscent of HUEY LEWIS AND THE NEWS’ The Power Of Love appear in a not-so-subtle nod to the film’s soundtrack. Similarly, obligatory power ballad Enchant Me effortlessly segues in to Earth Angel, while the album ends with a hilariously electrified cover of Johnny B. Goode – both numbers performed in the film’s iconic high school dance. This dedication to incorporating elements of Back To The Future’s sonic legacy not only ties The 1.21 Gigawatts Club more closely to the film, but helps keep SKELETOON’s musical formula fresh. It’s no surprise that these pop classics blend in perfectly with the melodic tendencies of power metal, but their inclusion is sure to draw a smile.
For all the revitalisation the album’s theming provides SKELETOON, they unfortunately do begin to over-rely on their power metal laurels. The poppier influences that pepper the first two thirds of the album are sorely absent by its last act, with SKELETOON reverting to trad power metal to cap the record. While the climactic tracks of The 4th Dimensional Legacy and Eastwood Ravine are still of a high quality, they simply lack the impact of the rest of the album. Ironically, defaulting to the over-the-top clichés of power metal feels underwhelming compared to some of the lofty highs reached across the rest of the album. It’s a minor gripe though, as ultimately none of these tracks are bad by any stretch – it’s just a shame to get a taste of SKELETOON expanding their sound for it to disappear by album’s end.
With The 1.21 Gigawatts Club, SKELETOON deliver again on what they do best – over the top power metal with a genuine sense of fun. The album’s best moments however are when SKELETOON move slightly outside of their comfort zone and don’t rely on the tried and tested path of power metal. It’ll be exciting to see what road they go down next, but until then The 1.21 Gigawatts Club is a great audial tribute to a film franchise they clearly love.
Rating: 8/10
The 1.21 Gigawatts Club is set for release on October 15th via Scarlet Records.
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