By Andrew Bansal
In 2011, three former members of legendary doom metal band Trouble, Eric Wagner (vocals), Ron Holzner (bass) and Jeff Olson (drums) joined forces with the guitar duo of Lothar Keller and Matt Goldsborough to form The Skull. The new group has been making carefully selected live appearances and garnering unanimous approval from doom diehards. They have now unveiled their debut full-length effort via Tee Pee Records, a ten-track effort poised to satiate fans of the genre everywhere. Ever since witnessing them smoke out Loaded Hollywood with a glorious headline performance in 2013, I’ve been eagerly waiting for this album, and in all honesty, it does not disappoint
The first album to feature a collaboration between Wagner, Holzner and Olson since the 1995 Trouble LP ‘Plastic Green Head’, The Skull’s debut ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’ successfully recreates a similar atmosphere through its music and treats listeners with a menacing avalanche of righteous riffs, groovy rhythms and classic clean singing wrapped in a blanket of apocalyptic psychedelia. The album truly stands up to its title and rekindles the Trouble spirit in the minds of those that might have let it escape over the recent past. It’s exactly what one would expect from these musicians and clearly attempts to fulfill the very aim The Skull was formed for. It does not break any new ground in the musical sense but then it simply does not need to, because throughout its ten tracks it comprises definitive doom metal that packs a crushing punch and is impossible to dislike for any true fan of heavy music.
From the opening track ‘Trapped Inside My Mind’ right up till the final moments of the tenth track ‘The Last Judgement’, the album has an undeniable flow that deems it a worthwhile listen from start to finish and makes it hard to pick a favorite track. It transcends you into a comfort zone right from the outset and keeps you there for its entirety. All five members have put forth their best efforts as individual musicians and the combined result is here for everyone to bask in. Production-wise, it does complete justice to the music. All in all, The Skull’s ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’ is doom metal perfection.
Rating: 9.5/10
Record Label: Tee Pee
Release Date: November 4 2014
Track Listing:
01. Trapped Inside My Mind
02. The Touch of Reality
03. Sick Of It All
04. The Door
05. Send Judas Down
06. A New Generation
07. Till The Sun Turns Black
08. For Those Which Are Asleep
09. Sometime Yesterday Mourning
10. The Last Judgement
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