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Review |
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Viking Skull was formed in 2002 by Raging Speedhorn
members Gordon Morison, Darren Smith, and Frank
Regan, along with their technician, Roddy Stone,
and their merchandiser, Waldie. So, it’s basically
Raging Speedhorn in a slightly different configuration,
and it’s not hard to see where their influences
lie.
This is Viking Skull’s 3rd studio release,
and since their formative years, Dom Wallace of
Deadeye, and Rich Vose of Gnarkill have joined
the line-up. This is a fairly short 9 tracker,
but it still packs a punch, delivering some incredible
guitar riffs and fantastic basslines.
The album starts out strongly with the opening
track, ‘Start A War’ and keeps the
momentum going through the entire tracklisting.
Each songs starts off with some amazing heavy
guitars and catchy riffs, but unfortunately, they
seem to collapse once the vocals begin, and the
songs tend to become lacking and repetitive. In
particular, ‘Double Or Quits’ has
a promising introduction, but loses its excitement
once the predictable verses and choruses kick
in. ‘Shot Down’ also starts off with
an interesting acoustic solo, but again lapses
into a formulaic metal/classic rock configuration
later on.
Viking Skull’s influences are clear, which
might be a good thing for some, but for me it
means they lack the unique quality that mean the
success of more distinctive bands. There’s
a clear Iron Maiden influence in some tracks,
and, of course, a very definite Raging Speedhorn
theme running through the entire album. Midway
through the song ‘In Hell’, there’s
a riff so uncannily like Black Sabbath’s
‘Iron Man’, that you might think you’ve
switched CDs. I’m not sure whether it’s
a conscious nod towards their musical influences,
or whether the work of Black Sabbath is so engraved
into their psyches that they can’t suppress
it in their own music. Either way, if you like
your rock classic, and your metal heavy, you can’t
go far wrong with this album.
‘Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey’
is a short but tight collection of songs, clocking
it at a little over 37 minutes. Viking Skull might
have limited appeal, but metal lovers won’t
be disappointed. It’s a very powerful offering,
and doesn’t let up in its relentless headbanging.
If nothing else, listen out for the last track,
‘Drink’: it’s an acoustic track
with a piano that sounds like it’s come
straight out of an old western movie. It’s
nothing like the rest of the album, but I’ve
got a feeling most of you will like it, if only
for comedy appeal.
3/5
Review by Helen Williams |
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| Band
Members |
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Roddy Stone (vocals, guitar)
Jess Margera (drums)
Waldie (bass)
Dom (lead guitar) |
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| Track
Listing |
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1. Start A War
2. Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey
3. In Hell
4. Hair Of The Dog
5. Shot Down
6. Double Or Quits
7. In For The Kill
8. 19 Swords
9. Drink |
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| Band
Related Links |
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| Review
Score Code |
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- Top Cheese
- Brilliant
- Pretty damn good
- Ok I guess
-
What Was That? |
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