Album Review: The Skeats – The Skeats IV

“To find a better place and time, to gain a different frame of mind.”

The Skeats – The Skeats IV
December 2nd, 2023
Hard Rock / Alternative Rock / Punk Rock
Independently Released
St. John’s, Newfoundland

St. John’s hard rock power trio The Skeats are back with their fourth full length album in as many years, and, unsurprisingly, they’ve released yet another banger of catchy, well written tunes that will no doubt get stuck in your earholes and refuse to leave for days afterwards. Having reviewed the band’s past three full length records I’m well acquainted with their style of music, and it’s been an interesting journey watching these guys mature as songwriters while also maintaining a surprising level of consistency throughout their discography.

This album is, to some degree, not quite as heavy as the band’s previous record, Dead Before Dawn, which made overtures to classic heavy metal moreso than the punk-orientation of their first two releases, In the Meantime and Bulletproof… by Midnight. Still the sounds here, while certainly accessible and decidedly “easy listening” for someone who might be more into pure metal or pure punk, pack a punch and provide a sensible amount of variety for listeners all across the spectrum of the modern rock landscape.

A song like “Torch”, which was released ahead of the album, has a Billy Talent vibe to it, a band that each of the three members have pointed to as an influence before. The following track, “Daze”, is a bit softer, and feels like it hearkens back to the world of 90’s radio rock, whereas “Black Sensations” has a shit-kicking metal n’ punk attitude that reminds me of a band like Kvelertak or Priestess at points (minus the blackened vocal stylings of the former).

This album easily has the best vocal performances from both James Keats and Joshua Organ yet. James, who is the band’s lead singer, has only gotten better at singing with age. I love the moments where his vocals are layered, both over his own as well as over Organ’s, creating a chorus effect that enhances the anthemic vibe that most of these tracks possess. Organ’s harsh screams have also improved, and he is much more present on this record than any of the band’s past materials. It’s cool to see both vocalists get their moments in the sun.

The riffs, provided once again by Keats on the guitar and Organ on the bass, are widely varied, catchy, heavily melodic, and well written. There are so many great moments where the band’s riffs and vocals harmonize, like on the track “Stay Home”, that just feel so damn good to listen to. On top of that the guitar soloing, unsurprisingly, is off the charts. Keats has always been a ripper on the axe ever since I’ve known him, and the solos on here are easily some of the best he’s ever written. I also love the brief moments of acoustic flourishes added to the soundscape, like on “Chasing Angels”.

Drummer Daniel Keats has also obviously improved as a drummer over the years. While the music of The Skeats has never been overly complicated and is rather simplistic from a compositional standpoint, Daniel’s skills have been honed over the past near-decade that the group has been active, and his drumming on this album feels more confident and intentional than at any point in the band’s history.

Where this album loses me a little bit is in its runtime. Clocking in at just under 56 minutes in length this thing is a long slog to get through. This isn’t to say that the album has any filler material or “bad songs” on it. There aren’t really any tracks on here that I don’t vibe with personally. However I think for a record in the hard rock genre that boasts a punk attitude the band would’ve been better off caching some of these songs and utilizing them for an EP or another album down the road. I’d much rather have a roughly 30-40 minute release featuring the strongest songs in a “get-in-get-out” format.

Still, some of my personal favourites on this record come right at the very end of the album’s runtime. The track “Twitch” is a catchy punk rock ditty that feels like it came right out of the 90’s or early 2000’s skate punk explosion. The track “One Makes Five” is easily my favourite song that The Skeats have ever written, featuring some straight up NWOTHM riffs that feel heavily inspired by bands like Van Halen, Ratt and Cauldron. “Chasing Angels” has some of the heaviest riffs on the record as well, featuring some surprise moments of syncopation. It’s rare that an album produces my favourite songs right at the end, but The Skeats IV did exactly that.

The Skeats have outdone themselves yet again with another excellent record that mixes elements of radio rock, punk and heavy metal together in an easy to digest, accessible, and yet vibrantly catchy and energetic mixture. While the runtime is a bit of a downer, the songs are at least quite maturely written and exemplary of a band that is only going to get better with more time and experience than the past nine years have already afforded them.

Final Verdict: 8.5/10
Great

Favourite Tracks:
“Torch”
“Black Sensations”
“Stay Home”
“Fifth Degree”
“Fine Wine”
“Twitch”
“One Makes Five”
“Chasing Angels”

For Fans of:
Billy Talent
Pennywise
Avenged Sevenfold
Van Halen

~ Akhenaten

Album Review: Last Soul Down – In Hindsight

“Some friends brought me to my first show, I heard the music and I wanted more. Gotta get the music in me.”

Last Soul Down – In Hindsight
December 2nd, 2021
Stoner Metal
Independently Released
St. John’s, Newfoundland

Last Soul Down have had a rough go of things in recent years. Not only did the band suffer a lineup change when guitarist Cory Fagan and drummer Benoit Roy departed to focus on their other band Sons of an Eastern Moon, but founding member and guitarist Johnny Fisher, a legend in his own right within the local punk and metal scene of St. John’s, passed away at the tail end of 2020. The band was arguably his brainchild and it’s a shame he never got to see the group’s sophomore record released to the public. That being said, his work lives on in this record as the riffs and backing vocals on here were provided by him.

When compared to the band’s debut record, The Perfect Disaster, I definitely feel like In Hindsight is evidence of a band having a lot more fun. The songs on here are way more upbeat and ‘driving’ than those of the previous record. Songs like “Judas”, “Coming Around”, and “Groovy” feel like tracks you’d blast at full volume while cruising over the speed limit down the Trans-Canada Highway in the middle of summer with the windows down. It’s a shame that this record was released in the winter because this is definitely a summer vibes record. I can hear songs from this album being blasted at outdoor parties alongside contemporary rock artists like Kvelertak (as a side note, the song “Spell of the Witch” sounds really similar to “Evig Vandrar” from that band) as well as oldies like AC/DC.

The riffs on this thing, provided by Fisher as well as bassist Raymond Walsh, draw influence from all over the stoner and doom spectrum, with a noticeable bluesy flair that lends itself to a Clutch comparison, albeit with a little less edge than those boys from Maryland. When it comes down to it, Fisher and Walsh just want to rock and groove, and while they don’t exactly break any new ground, they manage to carve out guitar passages that tap into the rebellious spirit of rock and roll, hitting that innermost part of the rocker’s soul that craves these types of rather simple but uplifting and “feel good” tunes.

On top of that we have lead guitarist Cory Fagan, who, while no longer a member of the band, did perform on this record, and his skills certainly stand out here. Every song has an absolute ripper of a solo on here that adds that extra layer of oomph that otherwise might be missing. Hearing his leads scream out either over the entire mix or, as is the case in the latter half of “Feeding the Fire”, underneath everything as an extra layer in the background, ties everything together into a nice little bow.

Drummer Paul Curnew keeps things pretty simple on the drums, but he knows exactly what this kind of music needs. There’s an occasional roll or a fill here and there, but by and large he keeps the rhythm and the groove basic and driving, and punches each song forward. Some songs are kept slower than others, like the sultry sway of “Spell of the Witch”, but most of the album stays at a rather consistent mid-paced tempo that gives it the ‘driving’ feeling I mentioned earlier. Curnew knows not to be too flashy, and his style of drumming on here is perfect for the vibe of each of these songs.

Vocalist Richard Squires, who has been performing for years but hasn’t been on any recordings up until now, is pretty good for this kind of music. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think his vocal performance is the weakest part of this record, however that’s not to say that it’s bad. It’s more of a matter of personal taste for me. He has a rather deep, sultry kind of ‘crooning’ style that I would compare to Glenn Danzig (though obviously not nearly as Elvis-like), which is absolutely fine. But that being said, I’ve never been a huge fan of that style of vocals in music like this. I tend to prefer much gruffer sounding vocals akin to Matt Pike or more nasally vocals like Ozzy, so it’s really just a matter of my own taste. For some people I’m sure Squires’ vocal style will hit perfectly for them.

The production on this thing is pretty good, though I feel like the guitars could’ve used a bit more punch to them. The solos come out sounding clear and cutting like a knife over everything else, but the rest of the guitars feel like they’re a bit too fuzzed out. If the fuzz was lowered just a little less I think it would’ve sounded a bit heavier and maybe had a bit more kick to them, but that’s really just a nitpick. It’s honestly a problem I have with a lot of stoner and doom metal, and it all comes down to an aesthetic preference in the end. I would have liked a bit more reverb on the vocals as well and perhaps to have the drums raised up in volume on the mix. Other than that I think Don Ellis up at Mt. Scio Studio did a pretty good job with this record and most of these issues I have with the record can be solved by just upping the volume on your own system or device.

Considering that this is the last recording Johnny Fisher ever worked on before he passed away I think it was a really strong note to end his musical career on. I think this album is a lot more entertaining and engaging than the band’s previous release, and the songs feel more intense to me. The record definitely stands shoulder to shoulder with some of the other ‘pure rock’ records I’ve been listening to over the past few years. Comparisons to bands like Audrey Horne, Priestess, and The Damned Things are apt. While it doesn’t exactly venture too far out of the box creatively, when it comes to presenting a ton of kickass rock and roll barn burners, you could do a lot worse than In Hindsight.

Final Verdict: 8/10
Great

Favourite Tracks:
“Coming Around”
“Spell of the Witch”
“Groovy”

~ Akhenaten