ALBUM REVIEW: The Gang’s All Here – Skid Row

When we think of SKID ROW, it’s typically due to Sebastian Bach arguing with someone over Twitter – not the best when he’s no longer in the band. It’s a disservice to them by our own admission and one we intend to put right with The Gang’s All Here. SKID ROW’s sixth album promises to be the best of their lifetime so far. Bold when then 1989 eponymous effort is right there. To bolster this claim, the band have recruited H.E.A.T vocalist Erik Grönwall. Branded an oath of triumph, the follow-up to Revolutions Per Minute (2006) boasts ten tracks of the sleaziest old-fashioned rock.

With that in mind, Hell Or High Water wastes little time in becoming a high-octane tone setter. Thick riffs from the duo of Dave “The Snake” Sabo and Scotti Hill ooze a charisma the band housed in the 90s. Grönwall’s vocal range may be akin to that of Bach, but his ability to sit lower is appreciated. When it comes to the trademark wails which come with SKID ROW and bands of that ilk, Grönwall is impressive, though there are times within the verses where a rush to get to the impressive notes comes at a detriment. That said, Hell Or High Water does a solid job of opening the record.

As we would expect from the title track of this album, the gang mentality of a band is very much present. Rachel Bolan’s bass slithers beneath Grönwall’s speedy delivery. It’s here the comparisons come. The fast tempo groove reminds us of early POISON material, hankering for those simpler times. A call and response element to the chorus features heavily throughout the album but it makes them infectious little earworms. A sleazy solo quickly follows but it’s the riff trickling beneath it which takes our attention. To have it settle in the background then subtly slip into the dual elements is beautiful production.

Not Dead Yet and Time Bomb are where the wheels start to wobble. The warm toned guitars of the former settle us in to another high-octane number. Yet something is missing. The subject of “live fast and die young” is something we’ve heard before. This seize the day attitude may come from Grönwall’s diagnosis with leukaemia in 2021 but it still falls short. Meanwhile, Time Bomb explodes in the wrong way. Grinding guitars coupled with a low and slow bounce paint a picture of something threatening. This song should pack a punch harder than Bolan’s bassline, but the slow chorus grinds us to a halt. To have that glorious groove peter out is a crying shame. It gets picked up again, but the structural formula of SKID ROW sees it slow once more. Unfortunately, this isn’t the last time we are left slightly blue-balled as Resurrected opens with dual guitars and thick sound… to only become a lukewarm revolution against the powers that be.

When SKID ROW can pull off an idea, they execute it well. Nowhere Fast’s stalking riff feels animalistic and gives us what we’ve been looking for. Grönwall’s vocals may sit a touch too high for the minimalist verses but the low and slow instrumentals more than make up for it. What begins to work against them however is predictability. There is a certain structure to a song which works for many bands: verse, chorus, verse; but the predictability leads to us becoming complacent and not able to appreciate everything a band like SKID ROW has to offer. An interesting prospect when there is a seven-minute song sat within the track list.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, there are two songs before that behemoth. When The Lights Come on feeds into the idea of being a street rat heading to a party in the city, living within the nightlife and taking each moment as it comes, especially when we spot the lady in the corner who’s “wearing Friday like her Sunday best”. Though we do wonder whether songs like these now have a place within a society too broke to party as hard as we used to. Something which doesn’t change is the concept of self-belief. Rock and metal have always confronted the naysayers and spat in the face of the word “no”. A slower bounce masks guitar noodling which works its way into our brains. As Grönwall protests, backing vocals from his band which could have supported him sit too quiet within the mix. For a song which is very much “no motherfucker’s gonna tear me down”, it lacks the weight it needs.

By the time October’s Song comes around, we wonder how SKID ROW are going to approach a seven-minute track. As we had predicted, it’s the album’s ballad. Bolan’s bass sits well within the mix. The prevalence of the lower tones again feels reminiscent of the 80s and 90s. Grönwall’s attempt at a softer vocal while he ponders the impermanence of life works well. Talking to the mother and father of the story we are hit by our own mortality. This tonal shift is somewhat welcome but misplaced as the penultimate track. Guitars swell into a fuller band second chorus as we “wait to be saved”. It’s here we’re teased with a solo rather than going straight into it. This experimentation pulls us in and helps us appreciate the band a lot more. Why it wasn’t the closing track is beyond us. World On Fire is not a bad song by any means. It was just put in a position whether it couldn’t have comfortably followed an opus like that. A song which was meant to reignite the fire within us all leaves our flame flickering.

If you’re looking for a guaranteed good time with very few duds, The Gang’s All Here is certainly for you. It’s an album to be settled into then pushed aside for another activity. Is calling an album a secondary activity a disservice? Not always. It simply means this is an album which can be enjoyed and fill the gaps in conversation with friends of the lulls in a road trip. Is this SKID ROW’s strongest effort? Unfortunately not. That title still belongs to days gone by. The Gang’s All Here is solid, and a statement that SKID ROW is still alive and kicking.

Rating: 7/10

The Gang’s All Here is out now via earMUSIC.

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