Skin The Pig
Another band from Skratch The Surface, Skin The Pig, a 6 piece progressive metal band from Manchester (originally Northern Ireland) were sent through to us to check out. Firstly, let me say that their album is one of the best looking I’ve ever had through, the cover is well put together and the CD inside matches it, which is always a nice intro to a band! Formed in 2000, these guys draw their influences from both the heavy and mellow spectrums of music and in turn allows their music to cover bases from sludgy to delicate, intense to gentle and punishing to thoughtful (or so their one sheet says!). Their latest album, Article XIX is here and ready to go.
Opening with Stendhal Syndrome, immediately your transported to another place, a soft guitar line leading you in initially before bolstering the mix with a simple bass and an under laid synth. Gradually building in with a picked lead line and rolling drums, there’s a real sense that this is far beyond a simple tag that could be thrown at it, instead this is music which has been crafted to evoke a reaction from anyone who listens to it. Building for what seems like forever, gradually the track takes form and suddenly kicks off – a distorted riff underpinning the continuing lead line, the drums growing in power and throwing in double bass snippets, the lead line growing into a solo and the whole mix thundering through the speakers because of the heavy bass line. What’s really amazing though – this is just an instrumental track, yet at no point do you miss vocals, they’re not needed.
I Rise, You Fall follows on, once again opening soft but soon unleashing hell as the vocals come into being to allow the band to finally show off what they’ve got hidden up their sleeve. Powerful guitar lines, rolling drums, pounding bass and vocals which alternate between screeching, roaring and clean harmonic singing – there’s so much going on in this track that at first it’s hard to know where to listen first. Dark and sludgy at times whilst at others, uplifting and melodic, this track is a pure demonstration of what the band says about themselves – and they’re right. Factory, Factory comes up next, once again opening dark but almost coming as a shock after the all out power of the previous track – purely because this track seems to harness more power and throw it at you. The riffs keep everything dark and powerful whilst the drums set the pace, this time opting for fast, bassy and hell bent on destruction – this track must slay on the live scene! The show stealer on this track has to be the guitars, they seem to power everything up to beyond 11 and keep you there for the entire journey.
Room 121 comes as a surprise then as all of a sudden, everything seems to calm down and slow down a notch. Opening with rain sound effects over a melodic and clean guitar line, there’s a real sense of reflection as the track grows into being. Ushering in some clean and melodic vocals, this track holds a haunting quality which entices you to listen harder, just to make sure you don’t miss anything. Emotional, powerful and melodic, the contrast from this track compared to the ones before is incredible, yet somehow the track doesn’t seem out of place – perhaps down to the almighty chorus sections full to the brim with rolling double bass lines, hammering riffs and all out power, yet somehow keeping everything melodic. There are of course moments of all out heaviness, but to be honest they seem to fade in this track, the melodic lines taking precedent and developing this into something completely new. Yet Nameless takes over the lead next, opening roaring but descending into another melee of harmonies and powerful melodic guitar lines, again this is a track which really demonstrates just how able these guys are. Fast, powerful and unrelenting, this is quite possibly my personal favourite from the album, purely for the way the track moves from section to section without losing any power – there’s a real Threat Signal feeling at times – oh, and check out the solo!
Box 5 opens with some more of the Spanish style guitar which was introduced during the previous track, once again adding in a real sense of emotional power as the acoustic line leads the way into the track. Soaring vocals grab your attention as the track comes into being fully, keeping everything clean yet suggesting there’s more to the track than just what you’re hearing at first. What else there is soon becomes evident – once again building into a powerful mix of roaring guitars with melodic vocals. Somehow combining the emotional softness with aggressive power, this track is another one which will have you sat back marvelling at what you’re hearing – especially the rolling double bass guitar solo combination at the ending! Redemption seems to continue the dark and clean theme which has become so apparent over the course of the album, opening clean but once again launching into a riff fuelled melee of raw power within moments. Again managing to combine the hard and soft, the raw and refined and producing something which is not only technically excellent, but also easy to listen to, this track offers up every contrast in the book and manages it with aplomb, quite simply another high point on the album.
In Loving Memory comes up next and isn’t the soft laid back ballad which the name might expect, instead a riff laden mix of hammering drums and soaring vocal lines. Keeping every single element perfectly layered in the mix, this is another track which takes the rule book and rips it up, deciding to craft something of their own making rather than basing their ideas on anyone else. Once again managing to balance the emotional and hard hitting, this track is relatively simple in construction yet it doesn’t need anything else, it works and serves the purpose it sets out to achieve, crafting a track which can be listened to and enjoyed whilst still keeping you guessing as to what is going to come next. My favourite part – well, I’m a guitarist, and you only need to hear the solo to understand why I’d choose that bit! Shadows Of Broken Wings moves back to the heavier side of things just to reassure you they haven’t gone soft, once again opening roaring and not relenting until the band decides they’re good and ready (and believe me, when the acoustic guitar section comes in, you won’t be disappointed!). Basing the initial stages of the track over a rolling drum beat, there’s a real sense of movement through this track, once again suggesting that this is going to be an awesome one to see on the live scene, something I need to get out there to witness!
Closing the album with No Mans Land you’re reminded of the journey you’ve come through since beginning the album, hard to soft and back again – this time combining all of the elements once again for one final hurrah. Closing the album on a high, my only uncertainty on this track is the faster paced lyrics, I’m not sure they work over the music which accompanies them, but at this stage of the album it’s such a minor criticism that I’m not sure it over matters, it’s a tiny blemish on an over all excellent canvas of an album.
I was impressed with Skin The Pig as soon as their album arrived, as someone who prefers CD’s to MP3’s I like it when a band takes the time to craft their album into something special, something which these guys have done. Often though, what looks good on the outside hides a dirty secret, this isn’t the case here. This is an album which takes you on a journey from high to low, angry to sad then back to happy, makes you relive moments and look forward to new ones, quite simply the music evokes some kind of emotional rollercoaster that you can’t help but want to live again. This is an album which a lot of people should hear, just to understand how a band can take a genre and firmly make it their own – bravo chaps, bravo.
To find out more about Skin The Pig, Check out their Facebook page HERE.
Opening with Stendhal Syndrome, immediately your transported to another place, a soft guitar line leading you in initially before bolstering the mix with a simple bass and an under laid synth. Gradually building in with a picked lead line and rolling drums, there’s a real sense that this is far beyond a simple tag that could be thrown at it, instead this is music which has been crafted to evoke a reaction from anyone who listens to it. Building for what seems like forever, gradually the track takes form and suddenly kicks off – a distorted riff underpinning the continuing lead line, the drums growing in power and throwing in double bass snippets, the lead line growing into a solo and the whole mix thundering through the speakers because of the heavy bass line. What’s really amazing though – this is just an instrumental track, yet at no point do you miss vocals, they’re not needed.
I Rise, You Fall follows on, once again opening soft but soon unleashing hell as the vocals come into being to allow the band to finally show off what they’ve got hidden up their sleeve. Powerful guitar lines, rolling drums, pounding bass and vocals which alternate between screeching, roaring and clean harmonic singing – there’s so much going on in this track that at first it’s hard to know where to listen first. Dark and sludgy at times whilst at others, uplifting and melodic, this track is a pure demonstration of what the band says about themselves – and they’re right. Factory, Factory comes up next, once again opening dark but almost coming as a shock after the all out power of the previous track – purely because this track seems to harness more power and throw it at you. The riffs keep everything dark and powerful whilst the drums set the pace, this time opting for fast, bassy and hell bent on destruction – this track must slay on the live scene! The show stealer on this track has to be the guitars, they seem to power everything up to beyond 11 and keep you there for the entire journey.
Room 121 comes as a surprise then as all of a sudden, everything seems to calm down and slow down a notch. Opening with rain sound effects over a melodic and clean guitar line, there’s a real sense of reflection as the track grows into being. Ushering in some clean and melodic vocals, this track holds a haunting quality which entices you to listen harder, just to make sure you don’t miss anything. Emotional, powerful and melodic, the contrast from this track compared to the ones before is incredible, yet somehow the track doesn’t seem out of place – perhaps down to the almighty chorus sections full to the brim with rolling double bass lines, hammering riffs and all out power, yet somehow keeping everything melodic. There are of course moments of all out heaviness, but to be honest they seem to fade in this track, the melodic lines taking precedent and developing this into something completely new. Yet Nameless takes over the lead next, opening roaring but descending into another melee of harmonies and powerful melodic guitar lines, again this is a track which really demonstrates just how able these guys are. Fast, powerful and unrelenting, this is quite possibly my personal favourite from the album, purely for the way the track moves from section to section without losing any power – there’s a real Threat Signal feeling at times – oh, and check out the solo!
Box 5 opens with some more of the Spanish style guitar which was introduced during the previous track, once again adding in a real sense of emotional power as the acoustic line leads the way into the track. Soaring vocals grab your attention as the track comes into being fully, keeping everything clean yet suggesting there’s more to the track than just what you’re hearing at first. What else there is soon becomes evident – once again building into a powerful mix of roaring guitars with melodic vocals. Somehow combining the emotional softness with aggressive power, this track is another one which will have you sat back marvelling at what you’re hearing – especially the rolling double bass guitar solo combination at the ending! Redemption seems to continue the dark and clean theme which has become so apparent over the course of the album, opening clean but once again launching into a riff fuelled melee of raw power within moments. Again managing to combine the hard and soft, the raw and refined and producing something which is not only technically excellent, but also easy to listen to, this track offers up every contrast in the book and manages it with aplomb, quite simply another high point on the album.
In Loving Memory comes up next and isn’t the soft laid back ballad which the name might expect, instead a riff laden mix of hammering drums and soaring vocal lines. Keeping every single element perfectly layered in the mix, this is another track which takes the rule book and rips it up, deciding to craft something of their own making rather than basing their ideas on anyone else. Once again managing to balance the emotional and hard hitting, this track is relatively simple in construction yet it doesn’t need anything else, it works and serves the purpose it sets out to achieve, crafting a track which can be listened to and enjoyed whilst still keeping you guessing as to what is going to come next. My favourite part – well, I’m a guitarist, and you only need to hear the solo to understand why I’d choose that bit! Shadows Of Broken Wings moves back to the heavier side of things just to reassure you they haven’t gone soft, once again opening roaring and not relenting until the band decides they’re good and ready (and believe me, when the acoustic guitar section comes in, you won’t be disappointed!). Basing the initial stages of the track over a rolling drum beat, there’s a real sense of movement through this track, once again suggesting that this is going to be an awesome one to see on the live scene, something I need to get out there to witness!
Closing the album with No Mans Land you’re reminded of the journey you’ve come through since beginning the album, hard to soft and back again – this time combining all of the elements once again for one final hurrah. Closing the album on a high, my only uncertainty on this track is the faster paced lyrics, I’m not sure they work over the music which accompanies them, but at this stage of the album it’s such a minor criticism that I’m not sure it over matters, it’s a tiny blemish on an over all excellent canvas of an album.
I was impressed with Skin The Pig as soon as their album arrived, as someone who prefers CD’s to MP3’s I like it when a band takes the time to craft their album into something special, something which these guys have done. Often though, what looks good on the outside hides a dirty secret, this isn’t the case here. This is an album which takes you on a journey from high to low, angry to sad then back to happy, makes you relive moments and look forward to new ones, quite simply the music evokes some kind of emotional rollercoaster that you can’t help but want to live again. This is an album which a lot of people should hear, just to understand how a band can take a genre and firmly make it their own – bravo chaps, bravo.
To find out more about Skin The Pig, Check out their Facebook page HERE.
