Skid Row
“Thickskin”
(Skid Row Records)
This is not the Skid Row we know and love. Nor is it even good if it came under another name. The opening track sounds like a Marilyn Manson “Beautiful People” throwaway riff. The rest of this is dismissible ‘rock’, competent enough, but achingly unoriginal and seemingly just going through the motions of a rock song. Quiet breakdowns for the versus, chorus goes here, throw in a solo then repeat the chorus. It’s all very formulaic and lacking in any spark.
Much of this pretty much pussyfoots around and rarely kicks anything into gear. “Thick is the Skin” is about the only song that sounds remotely like Skid Row. And despite the bands past hairband status, they did used to rock. It’s obvious the bands last singer was the catalyst for this unit to create something worthwhile. This current Skid Row seems to be trying hard to cash in on that Nickelback type radio rock niche.
That sterile, paint by numbers rock and roll that basically sucks the life out of the listeners and forces them to grow mullets and live in Iowa. Since this band is nothing like the Skid Row that most fans know, they should just change their name and move on. To try and cash in on what many know and love as Skid Row is a shallow move that is as obvious as the weak music it spews forth.
