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

Metal Maniacs: Jordon Walsh

This week’s installment of Metal Maniacs features Jordon Walsh, an experienced drummer who has been in multiple bands. Currently he drums for Goreforge, The Beer Patrice, Undesirables and death metal upstarts Grenadier.

Hi folks. I am Jordon Walsh from Pasadena, Newfoundland. I play drums in the bands Goreforge, Beer Patrice, Undesirables, and most recently Grenadier, among others. For my list I will try to include some lesser-known albums and leave out some more well-known albums from my favorite bands such as Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Opeth, Metallica because I think most people (metalheads?) are inspired by those. It is practically impossible to compile and remember a list of ten albums that inspired me the most, let alone the additional eleven I added as honorable mentions. This list merges my favorite albums throughout my life in which I believe also stood the test of time. I hope some of you can gain some inspiration from these as I have.

In no particular order:

Nightwish – Oceanborn

One of my most fondest memories is listening to this while playing TCGs after my brother (Steve Walsh) bought it from eBay. I remember exclaiming “this would be so much better if there was someone screaming over it, like Bodom.” But it grew, and grew, and grew on me. Still to this day one of my favorite albums and probably why I placed it first in my list of no particular order.

Orphaned Land – Mabool: The Story of the Three Sons of Seven

A powerful band from Israel that has much religious meaning in their songs which I do not particularly care for, but the passion is ever present and the melody and song structure is like no other. Recommend to anybody looking for soulful guitar solos and passages with a heavy sprinkle of Israeli folk.

Dead Kennedys – Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables

A satirical, humorous and invigorating album touching on issues in our fucked up world. I got into punk before metal at a young age, and Dead Kennedys were there to teach me you could be aggressive and silly the same time. Most of the subject matter still holds up to this day. One of my favorite memories is playing DK cover shows with Steve Walsh, Adam Giles and Marc Best.

Minor Threat – First Two Seven Inches

Another album we played most of the songs from for cover shows with the previously mentioned b’ys. There was a mini punk scene on the go in Pasadena when I was a little kid. The older skater kids influenced me greatly with shows at the skate park in the middle of town. Bands like Young Offenders, T.H.O and Corporate Head are ones that come to mind. They covered bands such as Minor Threat, Misfits, Beastie Boys, Pennywise, Sex Pistols etc. Always loved fast aggressive music since being a youngster and I can still throw this on, raise my fist and smile.

Agalloch – The Mantle

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this album changed my life. The melancholic passages grabbed me as a teenager and I can say with certainty it was one of the albums that mostly influenced my guitar playing style. The drawn-out chords, dark melodies and it being somehow bittersweet were what pushed me to make music. I was far from a talented lead guitar player, and this recording was a little rough around the edges. The music made me realize soul is far more powerful than talent. I’m still running with that. Me and my cousin Chris Kennedy created a two-piece fantasy folk band around this same time, +5 to Strength, which was later re-imagined into Quilt.

Symphony X – The Odyssey

The final track on this album being 24 minutes was something that caught my eye, and it has zero filler. Has to be some of the best cheesy American power metal there is. I remember throwing this on around my non-metalhead friends and them being like “man, this is good shit”, kind of like when Dragonforce was introduced to us. The Odyssey album somehow manages to unite a poppy and proggy aesthetic into one giant ball of fiery cheese. It gets people to conjure up fantastic stories of “this is like when the hero arrives to the new town” or “definitely final boss battle here”.

Rhapdosy – Symphony of Enchanted Lands

Speaking of cheese, this band does not need any fermentation. No tall tale needs to be summoned for this one. It comes as a full package – literally – their albums have maps included to set the imaginative tone. Definitely my favorite power metal band of all time with the best vocalist, best epic choruses, and somehow just enough cheese without spilling over and burning up. Again, I have fond memories of this one. Just out of high school, blasting my Rhapsody mix CD with all the hits, playing too much air guitar, trying to sing Fabio Leone hooks, holding the orb until the convenience store opens back up in the morning so we can hopefully buy more beer (we were too young to realize they didn’t sell booze again until 9 AM, after being turned down. RIP “BK”, my friend). It was hard to choose the best Rhapsody album but I think this one takes the cheesecake.

Therion – Secret of the Runes

A Gothic doom masterpiece. Filled with mostly choral vocals it definitely sets a tone unlike most other bands. Like a lot of symphonic metal the guitar sometimes takes a backseat to the other string arrangements and haunting but beautiful vocals. This album often takes a mid-tempo approach but has stayed with me throughout my many loves of genres, and has grown on me even more throughout the years. One of my favorite parts of the album is “Ljuselfheim” followed by “Muspelheim”: amazing riffs and melodies that evoke feelings of longing and belligerence.

Camel – Moonmadness

This band was introduced to me by an interview Mikael Akerfeldt did in which he talked about his influences. At first listen Camel was so interesting it would make my brother and I smile almost to the point of laughing. This 70’s band has some of my favorite guitar work and the best arrangements I have ever heard. Their second album Mirage was the first I heard, but Moonmadness won me over with its psychedelic and early progressive style. “Song Within A Song” and “Chord Change” are staples when having a few of the b’ys over for a Friday drink. Not to forget “Lunar Sea”, full of amazing synth and rhythms that can help take you to another dimension. The guitarist and main composer, Andy Latimer, whom is full of soul and emotion which is evident if you ever watch his live performances, is still releasing music and still dishing out stellar albums. 

Diabolical Masquerade – Nightwork

I’ve often said before that this album is “the best music for me”. It encompasses black and death metal with catchy Nintendo-esque hooks all wrapped up with a sense of humor. I love when bands don’t take themselves too seriously, and it’s evident that Nightwork is filled with tongue-in-cheek and facetious material. I won’t spoil it for you. It’s all written by Anders Nystrom of Bloodbath and Katatonia, although the later of which I have never got into. The drums are vicious and played by the prolific Dan Swanö. If you’re into metal that’s packed with aggression and melody give it a listen and wonder why you haven’t heard it already. 

Some of these brief write-ups don’t do the albums justice but thanks for your time reading my nostalgia trip. Here’s 11 more albums that should also have a blurb about them:

Gentle Giant – Three Friends
Bal-Sagoth – Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule
Immortal – Sons of Northern Darkness
Ensiferum – Ensiferum
Ragnarök – Ragnarök
Beardfish – Sleeping in Traffic Pt 1
Haggard – Eppur si Muove
Asia Minor – Between Flesh and Divine
Finntroll – Jaktens Tid
Cradle of Filth – Cruelty and the Beast
Green Carnation – Light of Day, Day of Darkness

~ Written by Jordon Walsh
~ Edited by Akhenaten