Skullians
We were recently sent through a copy of Don’t Take It To Heart, the latest offering from Toronto based Skullians. This punk quartet formed originally back in 2005, and have continued to refine and develop their song writing, pushing the boundaries of what they do and striving to achieve recognition from the scene – something which they seem to have achieved pretty damned well. Seeing as I’ve been aware of these guys for a fair while now, and seeing as I’ve got a copy of the album sat in front of me, I figured I’d hit play to see what was going on for myself!
Fin No Idea gets the album in motion, opening with sound effects of one hell of a fight before some spoken words, building the anticipation for the album and leading us into it beginning properly. As the guitars come in to take the album forwards we’re built up to a raucous start, before launching into a punk fuelled melee of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and deep, rumbling bass lines. As the mix is completed by the vocals it’s clear that this is a serious punk unit, the sort of punk which doesn’t try to be radio friendly or attract scene fans, it’s real punk with real attitude. The opening track sets the scene for the album, so Downhill is tasked with continuing the flow, once again hammering into a punk fuelled mix of guitar lines, pounding rhythms and more of that in your face attitude. Despite the all out power of the track and serious attitude behind the music, there’s a serious dose of melody thrown into the mix, keeping the sound alive and allowing you to hear everything going on, something which all too often can be lost on records like this. Most notable though is the rawness of the recording, listening to the album it’s like having the band actually playing in front of you, showing you what you can expect from them on the live scene.
Over The Edge once again continues to push the bar higher, this time opening with spoken word before launching us head first into a mix designed to get you moving and jumping. Raw vocals hammer out the message from the band as the heavy backing track keeps the track moving – this is a track which has been built for the live scene, and the sort of thing which is sure to get pits moving across the venue on a live front. Changing the style for the initial moments of 84 (strange fair ground noises which hark towards a dark, ominous feeling) there’s a more bass heavy opening to things, but soon enough we resume our awesome, fast paced journey through the record. The opening moments soon fade into a hammering punk track, packed with layered vocals, soaring guitar lines and a constant feeling that this is real music played from the inner soul of the band. This was my personal favourite track from the album, there’s just something about it which makes me want to get on a plane to Canada to check these guys out live!
Next In Line, Not Gonna Lie, Don’t Wanna Go and Oreo all continue to show off the skill within the band, each track offering up a slightly different approach to punk from Rancid style tracks through to more Ramones style old school punk, it’s like a journey through the ‘how to’ of punk. Elected stands out as another serious point on the record as it comes about, once again hammering straight into a fast paced and distortion fuelled melee of spat vocals and urgent, upbeat music. To me, this track is pure punk, the sort of thing which is all about the pace, the attitude, and the feeling that’s generated by the music, and it’s awesome to hear. My Cuz follows much the same conventions, opening with a demand for beer before hammering into one of the hardest hitting tracks from the album, built around fast paced riffs and hammering vocal lines. This is another track which is going to find its full force on the live scene, the sort of thing which will get a venue pumping, people moving, and beers flowing from front to back – another moment on the album that you need to make sure you check out for sure.
Bad News follows and once again continues to hammer out pure, punk fuelled melodies, leading us onto Heartbreaker to continue it further before we’re left with Music Is My Job to close the album. The final moments on this album once again push the boundaries of the band, hammering out one final punk rock track designed to get people moving and reminding us where this album began. From start to finish it’s been a solid, distorted journey, packed with tracks which seem to be summed up here in the final moments, closing as it began and leaving us wanting more – a fitting close to a solid record (with an added comedy edge as the music comes to a close).
I’ve been aware of Skullians for a while now so I was looking forward to checking out what was on offer from this album, and I haven’t been disappointed. This isn’t an album designed for scene kids who think punk is cool because it is going to make them seem cool, this is punk for the true fan, the sort of punk which, if you love the music, you’re going to love. This is a band we need to get over here touring, and a band that I really want to hear a lot more from moving forwards from here. Definitely an album you want to get out and check out.
To find out more about Skullians, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
Fin No Idea gets the album in motion, opening with sound effects of one hell of a fight before some spoken words, building the anticipation for the album and leading us into it beginning properly. As the guitars come in to take the album forwards we’re built up to a raucous start, before launching into a punk fuelled melee of hammering guitar lines, pounding drums and deep, rumbling bass lines. As the mix is completed by the vocals it’s clear that this is a serious punk unit, the sort of punk which doesn’t try to be radio friendly or attract scene fans, it’s real punk with real attitude. The opening track sets the scene for the album, so Downhill is tasked with continuing the flow, once again hammering into a punk fuelled mix of guitar lines, pounding rhythms and more of that in your face attitude. Despite the all out power of the track and serious attitude behind the music, there’s a serious dose of melody thrown into the mix, keeping the sound alive and allowing you to hear everything going on, something which all too often can be lost on records like this. Most notable though is the rawness of the recording, listening to the album it’s like having the band actually playing in front of you, showing you what you can expect from them on the live scene.
Over The Edge once again continues to push the bar higher, this time opening with spoken word before launching us head first into a mix designed to get you moving and jumping. Raw vocals hammer out the message from the band as the heavy backing track keeps the track moving – this is a track which has been built for the live scene, and the sort of thing which is sure to get pits moving across the venue on a live front. Changing the style for the initial moments of 84 (strange fair ground noises which hark towards a dark, ominous feeling) there’s a more bass heavy opening to things, but soon enough we resume our awesome, fast paced journey through the record. The opening moments soon fade into a hammering punk track, packed with layered vocals, soaring guitar lines and a constant feeling that this is real music played from the inner soul of the band. This was my personal favourite track from the album, there’s just something about it which makes me want to get on a plane to Canada to check these guys out live!
Next In Line, Not Gonna Lie, Don’t Wanna Go and Oreo all continue to show off the skill within the band, each track offering up a slightly different approach to punk from Rancid style tracks through to more Ramones style old school punk, it’s like a journey through the ‘how to’ of punk. Elected stands out as another serious point on the record as it comes about, once again hammering straight into a fast paced and distortion fuelled melee of spat vocals and urgent, upbeat music. To me, this track is pure punk, the sort of thing which is all about the pace, the attitude, and the feeling that’s generated by the music, and it’s awesome to hear. My Cuz follows much the same conventions, opening with a demand for beer before hammering into one of the hardest hitting tracks from the album, built around fast paced riffs and hammering vocal lines. This is another track which is going to find its full force on the live scene, the sort of thing which will get a venue pumping, people moving, and beers flowing from front to back – another moment on the album that you need to make sure you check out for sure.
Bad News follows and once again continues to hammer out pure, punk fuelled melodies, leading us onto Heartbreaker to continue it further before we’re left with Music Is My Job to close the album. The final moments on this album once again push the boundaries of the band, hammering out one final punk rock track designed to get people moving and reminding us where this album began. From start to finish it’s been a solid, distorted journey, packed with tracks which seem to be summed up here in the final moments, closing as it began and leaving us wanting more – a fitting close to a solid record (with an added comedy edge as the music comes to a close).
I’ve been aware of Skullians for a while now so I was looking forward to checking out what was on offer from this album, and I haven’t been disappointed. This isn’t an album designed for scene kids who think punk is cool because it is going to make them seem cool, this is punk for the true fan, the sort of punk which, if you love the music, you’re going to love. This is a band we need to get over here touring, and a band that I really want to hear a lot more from moving forwards from here. Definitely an album you want to get out and check out.
To find out more about Skullians, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
