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September 3, 2010 |
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01. Intro (Pipes Solo)
02. Do They Mean Us?
03. A Good Day To Bury Bad News
04. Anotherdrinkingsong
05. A Survival Campaign
06. The Song Of No-Invlovememt
07. The Parliament Of Fools
08. Ten Little Kingdoms
09. Like...A Ballad For The Disenchanted
10. Lightening The Load
11. NTRWB
12. Hybrid Blues
13. Outro (The Dissolution Of Parliament)
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SKYCLAD are the originators of folk metal and remain the best band never to make it big. Perhaps Lady Luck used to date one of the band members and the two had a nasty breakup. That's the only explanation I have for SKYCLAD's lack of success in album sales. The vile Ms. Luck even teased the band by giving them a deal with Nuclear Blast. Although the label released the group's 2000 album, "Folkemon", they didn't lift a finger to promote it, and after longtime vocalist, Martin Walkyier, left the band, SKYCLAD was punted from the label like a Spalding football.
To make the uphill climb even steeper, many fans lost interest in the band after learning of Walkyier's departure. Yes, Martin Walkyier is the best lyricist in metal; yes, his staccato bark and bitter delivery are irreplaceable - which is why the band didn't even try. Promoting from within, SKYCLAD decided to use the vocal talents of guitarist Kevin Ridley. If you've heard the "No Daylights Nor Heeltaps" compilation, you'll know that Ridley sings in a more melodic, Irish pub style. He's not a poor man's Walkyier. His vocal style would not have fit on albums like "Prince Of The Poverty Line." But this isn't 1994. It's 2004, and SKYCLAD have returned to make their mark on this year with "A Semblance Of Normality".
In my opinion, a change in singers is successful if I forget about the old vocalist when I'm spinning the new material, and there's not one note on "A Semblance Of Normality" that sounds like it was written for Walkyier. Unlike ICED EARTH's "The Glorious Burden", which features a new vocalist singing over recycled riffs and hand-me-down ballads, the musical ideas of "A Semblance of Normality" are better realized with Ridley at the helm than they would've been with Walkyier. And let me remind the "Walkyier is SKYCLAD" crowd that Martin never wrote a single note of music for the band. The main songsmith Steve Ramsey remains, and although Kevin's lyrical-style is more subtle and not as pun-peppered as Martin's, the lyrics are still quite well written, with the level of intelligence that SKYCLAD fans have come to expect.
Musically, SKYCLAD never release the same album twice; within the Cladalogue, there is everything from thrash metal to folk rock. So what kind of beast is "A Semblance Of Normality"? Is it animal, vegetable or mineral? Does it stay crunchy in milk? And above all, is it metal? You bet your sweet bippy it is! Heavy, downtuned guitars take priority on this album. Bassist Graeme English tends to mimic the guitars more than on albums past, which makes sense. Many songs have a simple bonecrunching riff for their backbone, and these riffs need a solid bottom end to stay heavy, which English provides.
"A Semblance Of Normality" is SKYCLAD's most varied album to date. In addition to folk metal numbers like "Parliament Of Fools," other songs are more bluesy and sound like nothing SKYCLAD has done before. Only five tracks feature gorgeous George Biddle on the violin. London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) pinchhits for her on five other tracks. Don't ask me how many bake sales SKYCLAD held to raise enough money for the orchestra, but whatever price they paid was worth it. The RPO beefs up many of the songs, without making them unnecessarily complex or pompous. A Hammond organ and Northumbrian bagpipes are used occasionally to enhance the feel of the music.
Want folk metal? "Anotherdrinkingsong" transports you inside an Irish pub. Don't spill your beer while you dance around to the do-si-do fiddle sections after the chorus, and sing along to the festive fa la las. "Lightening The Load" has a monster riff that not even the Richter scale could measure, and it's tastily offset by some upbeat Biddle-fiddling.
Want orchestral metal? Try the orchestral thrashfest that is "Do They Mean Us?" Though the lyrics make too many references to British places I've never heard of, the driving riffs and orchestral icing speak my language. Meanwhile, Arron Walton pounds the drums so hard that, if his drum kit were alive, it would be dead. You might find this song in the Guinness Book of World Records, under "Heaviest Song to Follow a Bagpipes Intro." The RPO creates an Egyptian ambience on "Like...A Ballad For The Disenchanted" which I, um, like very much, and on "A Good Day to Bury Bad News," the orchestra plays off against the crunching riff quite well.
Want something completely different? "Ten Little Kingdoms" is the fastest, heaviest track on the album. It takes off like a dragster, and features rapid-fire delivery by Kev. Good luck following along with the lyrics. Kevin uses a harsher singing style, which I didn't even know he was capable of. Another folk-free track is "NTRWB", the most bluesy track on the album. It features a Hammond organ and downtuned guitars, which ensure that the blues don't overwhelm the metal. "Hybrid Blues" starts out as a ballad, but takes a turn for the heavier with Kev's harsher vocals returning. At first, the track was a little too radio sounding for my tastes, but I found myself enjoying it more and more with each listen. The orchestra and some interesting percussion help keep this track afloat. SKYCLAD aren't known for finishing their albums strongly ("Any Old Irony?", "Something to Cling To", "Dead Angels on Ice", "Quantity Time"), but "Hybrid Blues" is an inspired departure.
If you're a SKYCLAD fan, buy this. If you disagree with the band carrying on without Walkyier, reserve judgment until you hear the material. Whether you support the lineup or not, you can't deny that this is an inspired album. If you ask me, it's folking awesome.
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