THE SCARS BETWEEN US: FIFTEEN YEARS LATER AND SKINLAB ARE STILL GOING STRONG… OR SOMETHING
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 1:00pm by Bob Cock
Skinlab… in 2009? Some fifteen years after the band emerged from the Bay Area thrash scene – mostly thanks to jocking from Machine Head’s Robb Flynn when both bands were Bay Area up-and-comers – Skinlab is back with The Scars Between Us… for better or worse. The band’s fourth full-length release and seventh overall (including an EP, a double-disc album containing alternate and live versions of songs, and a full-on live album), The Scars Between Us is Skinlab’s comeback album of sorts – and first for new label Stand And Deliver Records. The question is: can they resurrect a career after seemingly treading water, like Machine Head did a few years back after the one-two punch of nu-metal disasters The Burning Red and Supercharger before returning to the metal press’ pages of high praise?
Let’s explore, shall we? Okay, so starting out with gravel-throated screams and double bass is cool enough, but…Uh-oh, nu-metal riff number one pops in less than thirty seconds into album starter “Face of Aggression” (and come on – did they really just end the track with repeating ‘dunda reee, dunda ree, dunda ree’ on guitar to boot?). Yikes! We’re in for a trip on this one. Such is the case for much of the rest of The Scars Between Us, a foray into mediocrity and marginal quality.
These are the reviews that are difficult to do, though. How does one not mention what everybody else is going to write about? How can we ignore the Machine Head comparisons, the nu-metal jokes, the fact that Skinlab disappeared off the face of the earth for a few years, or how it’s a bunch of groove-oriented riffs not too dissimilar from fellow Cannabis-lovers Six Feet Under (sans the guitar solos)? Heck, even most of Skinlab’s “groove” isn’t even all that groovy. Maybe it’s not so much that The Scars Between Us is horrible as it’s just not terribly innovative, modernized, or intriguing. Metal doesn’t have to sound modern, but this mid- to late-90s funk of down-tuned guitars and tortured vocals is what ruined a lot of extreme music ten years ago. This is basically radio rock nu-metal.
While a few tracks aren’t terrible – namely “Amphetamine Gods” and the almost Crowbar-influenced sludge of “Karma Burns” – most songs here nefariously border that aforementioned nu-metal territory, while some are just ridiculous, redundant jokes in riffery. “Scream At The World” may have one of the most boring riffs ever committed to tape, and “My Vendetta” utilizes poorly-inspired guitars and monotonous sorta-sung choruses. This sort of mostly-mid-tempo drudgery just isn’t terribly amusing or interesting, and the tempo diversity drops off almost entirely after a few opening tracks. On top of that, nearly half the tracks clock in at the five-plus minute mark, giving The Scars Between Us a fifty minute running time without much musical diversity, or much of anything to mix things up. Somebody’s probably stoked Skinlab is back, somewhere out there. But it ain’t me.
(1 1/2 out of 5 horns)
-BC
Korncore?
ouch!
this band does, and always has, sucked a big fat penis
The Burning Red was awesome. Fuck off and go listen to iwrestledabearonce or something.
Yeah I’m with this guy… You suck off trendy repetitive bands like IWABO, and totally trash Skinlab? All you say over and over is how nu metal they are and omg nu metal omg! And a likeness to Six Feet Under? Wtf is with “not too dissimilar”? Why can’t you just say they’re similar to? Did you even listen to the cd or just skip around?
I’ll just say that I’d rather listen to this band any day than your favorite God Forbid.
Skinlab actually has a pretty distinct sound, and songs like Amphetamine Gods and Scars Between Us are killer! Might not be for you, but maybe someone should review this that doesn’t have preset nu metal opinions of them.
lol @ skinlab fanclub.
Indeed,the burning red you praise ruined a band that could have along with pantera carried the proverbial metal flag through the 90’s instead it gave us a spiky bleach haired douche who dangerously sounded a lot like Fred Durst on every song,they might be all metal now but the burn my eyes generation will never forget and never forgive,but I’m off topic skinlab never appealed to me and they sure as hell aint gonna start now
Just for the record, I listened to this record quite a few times. It’s just not that good. And I, personally, don’t care for Iwrestledabearonce, either.
The Skinlab/Machine Head/Shitty Nu Metal fanclub exists on The Frontlines message board. Just reading those threads on that board kills my IQ. Not to mention their credibitlity in metal fucking sucks. They start a thread about Lamb Of God, or Mastodon and it goes on for 20 + pages.
GO TAKE A SHOWER, THIS SMELLS BAD
poor skinlab…they has two good cds, the second of which, [disembody:the new flesh] was really heavy and had great moments….too bad. Id still see em if they swing by the milwaukee area though.
also, metalsucks, i noticed you threw is the “sans guitar solo” thing. a metal band doesnt need guitar solos to be good, example: GO fuckin JIRA?!?
Look at the whole sentence from which “sans guitar solo” is from. It is used in the context of comparison to Six Feet Under, where he says that they sound similar to them except for the lack of guitar solos. Don’t skim through things. It makes you look dumb.
Glad you picked up on that one. I was just gonna let it slide…
I didn’t even know this band was still around. Of course i didn’t give a shit about the band neither.
I enjoy the fact that metalsucks readers fail to realize that reviews on this site are posted by different people, and not just Vince and Axl.
This album may not be amazing but it sure aint as bad as this writer makes it out to be.how is this band NU METAL?