Released By: Self Release
Release Date: 25th July 2015
Genre: Metal
Links: Facebook
Line Up:
Frank Brown – Vocals
Travis Stiwalt – Guitar/Vocals
David Phillips – Guitar/vocals
Juston Green – Bass /Vocals
Chris Peavy – Drums
Tracklist:
01. Anthem to an Uprise
02. Hollow Words
03. No Allegiance
04. Sands of Time
05. Of Wolves
EP’s are one of those things that even when I love them, I hate them. I hate them because there is typically very few songs on them, which if the band isn’t good then I guess it’s a good thing, but if it’s a band I love, it just pisses me off and leaves me wanting more. When it happens to be an aggressive band that I love, it pisses me off even more because the brutality makes me want to break stuff AND there aren’t enough songs on it. This is what I encountered with the new Skinkage EP Tyrants.
Skinkage have been doing their thing since 2005, and I have managed to catch them live a few times over the years thanks to them being a local band. The first time I heard them they were OK, but didn’t make a big impression on me. Each time I saw them they got better and better and truly won me over with the aggression and in your face songs. I caught them on their EP release party recently, and grabbed Tyrants. The show was absolutely amazing, and the new tracks fit perfectly into their set list, and in some cases stood out from them, which is precisely what a band wants to do with their new material. From the start, “Anthem To An Uprise” sets the tempo and mood of the album, with its full-on assault. I have always thought of them as a super aggressive thrash band, but with this EP they’re teetering in to the technical Death scene, while still having that thrash vibe. Combining the two styles is absolutely brilliant, and it seems that they gel even better on the new tracks. “Hollow Words” and “No Allegiance” keep that heavy feel going with the amazing Frank Brown’s intense voice, the power riffs of guitarists Travis Stiwalt and David Phillips, the thunderous bass of Juston Green, and the brilliant drums of Chris Peavey. You catch your breath a little with the beautiful instrumental “Sands of Time,” then return to the brutal finale of “Of Wolves.”
This is a short listen, but what is contained within is some of hardest metal coming out of NC. It’s time for their name to be out there in the world, on a grander scale. They have a couple older albums out as well, and I highly encourage that if you love extreme metal, Skinkage is a band you need in your collection. If Tyrants is any indication of what the future holds for these men, metal fans have nothing to worry about. Checks out how we metal heads do it down here in the South.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: Chris 10/10
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