Skid Row - Slave to the Grind

If you dig this crunch fest....also check out the new Fozzy!

Awesome CD

Heavy, yet melodic......perfect combination and very unique at the time. I highly recomend the new Fozzy All That Remains Reloaded CD/DVD if you dig Skid. April 17, 2008

12 tracks, 12 Great Songs,12 Glam metal Masterpieces

Skid Row was just another Glam/Pop/Hair-metal band (as heard on their 1989 eponymous debut album), but then in 1991, to keep up with the overnight popularity of Grunge/Alternative Rock, Skid Row reinvented themselves as a hard-rock-esque type band and made thrashier, more rocking songs than on their debut. The only trace of Glam Metal on this is the ballad here and there ("Quicksand Jesus", "Wasted time"), "Mudkicker", "Get the _ _ _ _ out" and the title track "Slave..." are the loudest, most thrashy songs on here.

"Slave to the Grind" is a GOOD BUY, WORTH THE PRICE, and is SKID ROW"S greatest relese. the 12 tracks of this album are what got me back into a few Glam Metal bands. April 5, 2008

Top Notch!

There's little question that this is Skid Row's masterpiece. Much heavier than its predecessor, 1989's Skid Row, and with less connection to the generic "hair metal" label, Slave offers up a compelling piece of anti-formulaic rock n' roll and metal. There's really something for everyone here, be it the metal anthem that is "Slave to the Grind," the groovy "Creepshow" or some of Skid Row's best ballads (and Sebastian Bach's best vocal performances) in "Quicksand Jesus," "In a Darkened Room," and "Wasted Time." Twelve tracks, and I'm a big fan of ten of them. An almost perfect album! February 7, 2008

Good Solid Heavy Metal

This plus Skid Row's intro cd are all you need for a collection of Skid Row. One of Metal's top 10. July 23, 2007

Respekt

Evidently meaning business this album is a serious play for critical acceptance and a shift of intent for the band after their debut. Skid Row was hair meta, albeit excellent hair metal. But Slave to the Grind is just excellent metal and very much in keeping with the bands stated heroes like Judas Priest. Almost every tack here is a winner, the rockers atacking with bite and the ballads "taking you to dark unsettling places where reflection collides with worry" to quote Martin Popoff.

rather than go through a track by track synopsis for this release I'll cherry pick a few tracks and discuss them.

Monkey business - Excellent metal, excellent. From a brooding intro to a blazing metalfest led by a visceral Bach this is top notch metal no matter what era you grew up in.

Slave to the Grind - Probably the heaviest musical track recorded by Skid Row. Not my cup of tea but certainly a heavy duty attack. Add silly grunt/gargled vocals and you've got a metalcore song!

Quicksand Jesus - One of the three disturbing ballads on display here. Playing this track followed by In A Darkened Room and Wasted Time in an unlit room is something only to be done by experts. Just make sure you don't have any sharp objects close to hand...

Get the **** Out - The only really whimsical track here and a welcome relief. The only track here that could easily be imagined slotting onto the debut. Which makes sense as it was first played live at the Hordern Pavilion, Sydney Australia on the bands tour to promote the debut, so was perhaps the first tune written for this album.

Mudkicker - After Monkey Business this is probably my favourite of the metallic tunes, psychologically driven along a regular theme with the passion of the bands attack.

This album is a classin and the fact that it's not regarded as such appears to be due to the way the band are preceived in hindsight due to their breakup/disintegration. And perhaps because of hte bands image prior to this release. But if your not sure about buying a disc by Skid Row then ditch your worries and pick this up now. April 11, 2007

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