United World Rebellion: Chapter One

By the time of 2013's United World Rebellion: Chapter One, it had been seven years since hair metal vets Skid Row had released an album and decades since their late-'80's heyday. Though their days of multi-platinum sales came when ex-vocalist Sebastian Bach was the outspoken frontman of the band, current singer Johnny Solinger had been with the band since 1999, logging more active years than Bach did, though in a considerably different phase of the group's career. With this five-song EP (slated to be the first of several in the months following its release), it seems all the years and changes Skid Row have gone through haven't done much to affect their sound. The songs, all still penned by masterminds Rachel Bolan and Dave "The Snake" Sabo, still hold true to the attitude-soaked punk-leaning riffs the band built its name on. Sleazy uptempo guitar rockers like "Kings of Demolition" and "Stitches" wouldn't sound out of place on the first Skid Row record, and the EP's sole ballad, "This Is Killing Me," approaches a more Hendrix-influenced rewrite of the group's massive late-'80s hit "I Remember You." Solinger's throaty screams could easily pass for Bach's metal virtuosity in a blind comparison test. The only thing that's noticeably different from the group's earliest days is that the lyrical fixation with sex, partying, and rebellion has been replaced with a strangely isolated sense of anger, pain, and vague political angst. While the days of "Youth Gone Wild" have faded into adulthood, Skid Row haven't really moved too far from the sound of their salad days. [A 2014 release added two bonus tracks, "Sheer Heart Attack" and "Rats in the Cellar."]