- Monkey Business
Simple and fun guitar riff with killer right-panned delay. Bach’s half-whispering talking vocals turn into an epic scream, marking the end of the intro and the start of the verse with ultra heavy riffage. I love how locked in the shriektalk vocal lines are with the riffing and how the pre chorus marks a breakaway from the verse yet sound perfectly connected. The trademark Skid Row “gang” backing vocals accentuate the chorus which is centered around the song title and heavy as hell while at the same time a high degree of catchy corniness. What a song. 10/10
2. Slave To The Grind. The title track, and the reason why the production sounds slightly off compared to the rest of the album is because it was recorded during the demo sessions, and they couldn’t match its energy during the album sessions no matter how many times they tried, so they mixed the demo instead. This one is the ultimate show starter with Bach’s screaming locking in with fast and thrash-esque riffing, which is I guess why Sebastian Bach often opens his shows with it. Quite memorable solo, yet messy in a Janick kind of way. 10/10
3. The Threat.
This is the song that sounds the closest to the debut I guess, especially considering the intro riff. The gang vocals are back in the chorus and Bach varies the ending of the chorus throughout the song and goes full throttle scream a couple of times to spice it up. Another cool solo which after a few bars turns into an epic end of the final pre chorus with Bach going full top end screaming and then mixing up the vocals with impromptu screams throughout the final rounds and ends it with yet another epic mixed voice scream. 10/10
04. Quicksand Jesus. Moody guitar info and fun, dancing bass lines during the intro which then builds into the verses with great guitar work around the arpeggiated chords. Bach’s vocals are out of this world throughout (the crescendo screaming in the end is magic). Heavy chorus with great mixed voice singing which flows effortlessly into the distorted falsetto thing. Bach really could slip effortlessly between voices back then. The lyrics are very good too. They stick with you and the phrase Quicksand Jesus is particularly adhesive in the sense that the rest going falls into place. This is a near perfect song. The thing I’d want to change is to have a proper outro rather than the fade out thing. I think the song deserves a few soft bars with the trademark Bach wide vibrato closing the song. 9.5/10
05. Psycho Love Best thing about this song is the bridge and how it breaks away from the super heavy stuff going on. Bach’s soft singing over it turns into his shrieks again and then into a fiery solo. This one breaths a bit of the debut kind vibe too, but heavier of course. Finally a couple of bars with a bass solo as well. Bolan’s bass lines during the chorus is simple, yet rewarding and you can feel it just moving with the song. I think he is a rather underrated metal bass player. 9/10
06. Beggar’s Day. Super catchy intro and the guitar hook finds its way into other sections too which is a fun gimmick. Gang vocals in the chorus yet again and a really nice sustained upper middle note by Bach. Actually, Bach sustains several notes in a classy way throughout the track. Extra credit for the track being really heavy yet at the same time almost ridiculously catchy at times. I like how they let the riffing breathe throughout the track, and throughout the album. 9/10.
07- Living on a Chain Gang. Man, what a song. Great lyrics again, and Bach’s shrieks switching in and ouf of his distorted falsetto thing in the intro are perfection. The drumming shines in this song as well, with some really tasty fills and cymbal work. More gang vocals, this time both in the pre chorus and chorus. Really tasty guitar work in the chorus and epic screaming. Bach did this song (and the rest of the album) justice when he played it in its entirety a couple of times around 2019 too. If I saw that show then this would’ve been one of the highlights out of lots of perfect songs. The trading guitar solos are fun too, unlike Maiden Skid Row only trade solos every now and then so when they do, it’s extra fun. Bach is great as always, and I particularly like how he varies the same vocal lines (and he generally does this) by small changes in the melody, phrasing or just by switching registers. 10/10
08. Creepshow. Super heavy and smooth riffing, with intense vocals. This album has a lot of hook guitar riffs, but when it comes to the chorus I don’t think they gel with the gang vocals this time around. Still a very good song, but a step down from the previous, perfect track. 8/10. Very fun ending though with the shrieking, drum fill bashing and soloing going on absolving into a power chord. 8,5/10
09. In A Darkened Room. 10/10. Simple song with a beautiful guitar melody (later mirrored by Bach in the verses) clean arpeggios and laid back drumming. This song gives Bach a lot of room to shine and lets him showcase his beautiful vibrato. Terrific lyrics this time around too. A real crowd-pleaser of a chorus which just screams lighter and sing-along. Nice “The Edge” - type of 2-string guitar playing going on too. I like how they go back to the main theme played on lead guitar again and then goes into a shorter AB verse and back into the chorus with its perfect ending scream absolving into a very soulful guitar solo and once again, fade out. This time however the fade outs fits perfectly. 10/10
10. Riot Act. The weakest song of the album, and it’s still a kicker. Thumping rhytm guitars, gang vocals and the vocal lines mirroring the riff in a sort of Sabbath fashion (Ozzy did this pretty much all the time). Fun solo, high pitched screeching in the bridge and then more chorus (they really pays us off with the chorus here). And while the chorus is really fun within the context of the song, it doesn’t really hold up on its own. 8/10
11. Mudkicker. Super heavy riffing. Bach sings perfect as always and locks in with the riffing yet again, typical of Bach’s modus Operandi on this album. 8.5/10
12. Wasted Time. What can I say. What a track. Bach had a lot of problems recording it if I recall correctly, banging it out as the last track and at the time the voice was worn out. I think he had to take a week or two off to allow it to get back into shape and then he layed it down. Awesome vibrato going on again. Some A level singing here. Perfect intro, perfect lyrics, singing, everything. Can I say 11/10?
Overall rating: I’m torn what to rate this album as. I’m inclined to call it a 10/10, because an album can be more than the sum of all its parts. There are a lot of songs here and the worst song is an 8, and half of them hitting the full 10 mark. There are a couple of songs that are obviously of lesser quality than the rest, while there is wiggle room between the 9-10 rated songs depending on the day, so the album lands a 9.5/10 (which turns into a 9 as final rating) from me. Oh, and the artwork. Just look at it. Painted by Bach’s father, and kept in Bach’s massive original painting in this living room. Bach was lucky it wasn’t ruined in Katrina, as Bach’s home was rendered useless in the wake of it. This is Skid Row at their best, and dare I say, can stand toe to toe with the likes of Painkiller, Operation Mindcrime and Powerslave.
