You know what the most difficult aspect of reviewing the new Skid Row album is? The notion of appreciating the new stuff without thinking of the past or comparing the present songs with the glorious stuff of the first couple of records. At least, this was the big problem that I faced because Skid Row is one of my all-time favorite bands of mine and I never hid my concern about Erik Gronwall’s recruitment to the band. But let’s not get into that again…
For starters, I won’t even comment on the ill-advised title as we are all perfectly aware that the…gang is not all here, right? Let’s skip that, for now. The new Skid Row is by far the best thing that the guys have delivered since the “Slave To The Grind” days…not that it was a tremendous fit as everything else since 1991 pales compared to the two first masterpieces. Erik is a really powerful singer and possesses (almost) the right attitude behind the mic. The songs themselves are authentic and display appropriately Skid Row’s sonic DNA…that’s a very good thing, if you ask me! After all, both Rachel Bolan and Snake Sabo know exactly what the fans want and that’s what they deliver! Especially “Hell or High Water”, “When The Lights Come On”, “Resurrected” and the title track have something of the aura of the debut album and although I could have lived without “Time Bomb” and “October’s Song” the overall feeling is really positive; especially for a hard rock album that comes out in 2022!
All in all, “The Gang’s All Here” signals a definite return to form for the Skids. The album has some strong songs and the band performs flawlessly in the studio. But…and that’s a big “but”! You don’t get that feeling that will make you want to buy the album right away. Maybe I am asking too much from the Skids especially in this time and age but I guess one should always be demanding. “The Gang’s All Here” is a good album. Period.
Highlight: Cool cover photo, by the way…
