TONY CARNELLI
Staff Writer
Throughout the past 10 years, rap-metal icons like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park have dominated the charts with explosive blends of rap and raw, hardcore rock.
Looking back at 2004, one band managed to move this increasingly played out rap-metal genre forward. Skindred forms a unique blend of spontaneous drumbeats, raw screeching of guitars and a steady flavor of reggae. This multicultural band brings an unheard flavor of music into popular culture and is expected to be even more successful in attracting fans of punk, metal and reggae with their second album, “Babylon.”
Although this album was released in August, their first single “Nobody” was just released for radio airplay in December. In fact, neither MTV nor Rolling Stone magazine has reviewed “Babylon” to date.
Skindred’s album has been in the works for quite some time. The band came together and produced their first version of “Babylon” in April 2003. It featured almost all the songs the recently released version has, but the first album consisted of almost all reggae music with more of a Jamaican/Caribbean style.
After touring and playing with rock bands like Chevelle, Sevendust and Breaking Benjamin, the rock influence became more pronounced in Skindred’s music style. In “Nobody,” vocalist Benji Webbe changes the pitch and tone of his voice from mellow to progressively screaming about Skindred’s imminent domination of the metal and hip-hop scenes. The most impressive aspect of Webbe’s vocal abilities is the fact that he can smoothly change the sound of his voice and overlap his tone without any rough transitions.
But perhaps it is the originality of the album that makes “Babylon” appealing to so many music fans. The album is split with slower hip-hop beats and reggae-influenced vocals by Webbe in the tracks “The Fear” and “Tears.” Both songs contain steady hip-hop drum beats provided by drummer Dirty Arya who is accompanied by the bassist known simply as Dan.
For those who prefer hardcore rock and hip-hop over reggae, Skindred serves up songs like “World Domination” and “Selector” that feature heavy, raw guitar riffs by Mikey Demus. Demus’ skill truly separates Skindred’s explosive and diverse style of music from all the Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park wannabes out there. He ably changes the tempo and mood of each song by alternating the sounds of his guitar and doing simple things like adding echo and forming catchy rhythms that give “Babylon” its raw edge.
Despite Skindred’s notable accomplishments, there are a few things to point out that will only help bring higher acclaim to Skindred’s future albums.
The most noticeable, and perhaps somewhat irritating, problem with the recording of the album is the minimal bass. The songs have too many high-pitched sounds and not enough mid-range bass guitar or hard drum kicks to balance out the recording quality on the album. This somewhat minor defect is distracting enough to bring the album’s rating down.
“Babylon” could have also done without its three interlude tracks. One track would sufficiently separate the reggae sounding songs from the rap-metal style songs.
Finally, fans can hope for lengthier songs on future albums. Most of their tracks time between only two and three minutes. Producing longer tracks will lead to more singles on the radio and music videos.
For now, avoid purchasing just one or two of their songs online. Buying the whole album saves money. The price ranges from $10 to $12 at most stores, so you’ll get more bang for your buck.
Despite the short tracks on “Babylon,” Skindred has produced a new sound and helped extend the life of the frequently overplayed rap-metal genre.
For those who find explicit language unsavory, that’s one less thing to worry about with Skindred. This band delivers hardcore music without all the indecent material. “Babylon” represents the successful re-emergence of rap metal that this genre has not seen since Limp Bizkit released “Three Dollar Bill Y’all” in 1997.
Whether you’re a dazed and confused reggae fan fascinated by the colors of the poster on your wall or a rebellious and angry metal fan looking for a chance to bang your head a little harder, Skindred’s “Babylon” has a lot of both to offer.
01-13-2005
