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Shedding Skin is the third release from Australian metalers Skintilla. Originally formed in 1997, and having released two previous albums, the band underwent some major line up changes before this six song demo was put together in 2003. While I cannot claim to be overly familiar with the band or their scene, the press releases and website indicate that this a hard working bunch, who are fairly well known within the Aussie metal circles. What I can tell you about them based on this demo, is that they play some fiery, modernized power metal, with an occasional touch of thrash popping up for good measure. This band does seem to be aiming for more of a current sound then some of the European equivalents, and therefore may be less technical, yet heavier then some of the other power metal out there. In some ways they remind me of Ripper era priest, although that in itself may be too much of a compliment.
The vocalist falls somewhere between Dio and Ripper Owens type voice. At times it feels like his voice doesn’t fit the music very well though, and other times it does work, particularly on the last song which happens to be a ballad---he proves he is properly qualified. The guitar riffs are hard hitting, but not very memorable and for the most part pretty standard. The exception to this may be the opening riff to the song “Hate” which is an Agent Steel like semi thrash scorcher. All of the songs fall roughly within the three to four minute range, and while this consistency is not necessarily a bad thing, I unfortunately found myself losing interest while listening though the entire disc. It’s not that the guys aren’t trying to create a unique sound, more so that the sound they are creating is not clicking on all hinges. This is not to say they are incapable because there are flashes of good guitar work here and there, along with some nice melodies, but overall it feels just too ordinary. It just seems as if the guys need to experiment with their sound a bit more to get to where they want to go. With all the good music out there to listen to at this point, a band like this needs to really bring a focused effort in the future to stand a chance in the super competitive metal environment.
| Tracklist |
| 1. Trust |
| 2. White Flag Down |
| 3. This Rage |
| 4. Hate |
| 5. Live The Lie |
| 6. Silence |
: 20.59
| Buy other Skintilla albums |
