Sebastian Bach
Bring 'Em Bach Alive!

Sebastian Bach, the unforgettable former vocalist of the great Skid Row, makes a surprise return to the stages of the Land of the Rising Sun in 1998, supported by a solid, quirky, and colorful ensemble composed of the legendary Jimmy Flemion (a historic axe-man from the Los Angeles underground circuit and the backbone of the eccentric project The Last Hard Men, alongside Mr. Bach himself) and the skilled Richie Scarlet on guitars, aided by a decent rhythm section consisting of Mark “BamBam” McConnel (drums) and the mysterious Larry (bass).

Endowed with an extraordinary vocal range and enviable charisma, Sebastian Bach remains one of the most representative and important singers in the hard rock scene of the late '80s/early '90s: boasting accolades from masters of the discipline like David Coverdale, Axl Rose, and Blackie Lawless, the man himself appears on stage in excellent shape, delivering to fans an enviable performance. “Bring ‘Em Bach Alive!” proves to be a live album packaged more than decently by the skilled producer Michael Wagener, offering a package that is overall interesting, enriched by the presence of some previously unreleased tracks recorded in the studio for the occasion. Inside the carefully curated booklet, we find a humorous comic strip that perfectly captures the biting mediocrity of the '90s rock music scene, humorously commenting on the annoying proliferation of an impressive number of bland boy bands.

The album opens with “Done Bleeding”, a brand new track that stands out for its rather straightforward structure but also for some over-the-top passages concerning the phrasing of the two guitars. The solid “Slave to the Grind” bursts in, taken from the eponymous 1991 album, followed by the more recent “Frozen” and the excellent “Here I Am”. The crowd is swept away by the vocals of Sebastian Bach, which splendidly introduce the masterpiece “18 & Life”, a true generational anthem whose charm has remained unchanged over the years. The album moves on to the devastating “Beat Yourself Blind”, followed by the unreleased “Blasphemer”, reminiscent of '70s-derived hard rock (think Free and Mott The Hoople). The ballad “In a Darkened Room” captivates as always, just like “Monkey Business”, here presented in an effective medley with the energetic cover of “Godzilla” by Blue Oyster Cult. The album energetically moves towards the conclusion with the historic slow “I Remember You”, swiftly followed by the unstoppable march of the anthem “Youth Gone Wild”, with the futile unreleased track “Superjerk, Superstar, Supertears" passing unnoticed. Excellent, on the other hand, is the piece written by Jimmy Flemion “The Most Powerful Man In The World”, a poignant and delicate ballad reminiscent of the melodic heights achieved by Alice Cooper in his underrated LP “From The Inside” (1978).

At the end of the day, there remains the minor regret of not being able to compare this work with an official live album by Skid Row, a band capable of creating fiery live performances, as evidenced by some exquisite vintage bootlegs (most notably “Youth Gone Wild” from 1989 and “Merci Beaucoup Motherfuckers” from 1991). The absence of prominent figures like Dave “The Snake” Sabo, Scott Hill, and the massive drummer Rob Affuso does not go completely unnoticed, but “Bring ‘Em Bach Alive!” remains a good live album that sparks a small hope of success for the future solo career of the talented singer Sebastian Bach, notwithstanding the undeniable regrets for his departure from Skid Row.
(Enrico Rosticci)