Skindred
Roots Rock Riot

Second album for Skindred by Benji Webbe who, after the breakup of Dub War in the late '90s, makes a great comeback with a new project, going beyond the formulas of his previous band. Influenced by the musical moment (which saw the derivatives of Korn and Sepultura's "Roots" reigning supreme), already from their 2002 debut "Babylon," the dub-reggae of Dub War is contaminated with nu metal, hip hop, crossover, and hardcore-punk.

In the second chapter of 2007, Skindred make giant steps in songwriting (which was a bit too static and canonical in the debut) and dare as much as possible in every aspect, incorporating many hyper-catchy elements deriving from world music and approaching pop limits.

This experimentation and mixing of theoretically very different genres could lead the band to a nondescript and confused melting pot, but Skindred do not fall into this trap and manage to make this multi-ethno-musical mix very personal and original. They can use certain breakdowns à la System of a Down, the tribalism of Soulfly's "Primitive," the Latin flair of Ill Nino (with a Jamaican twist) without sounding like a copy of System of a Down, Soulfly, or Ill Nino, but rather deeply Skindred. Added to this is Benji's impressive vocal versatility, able to range through the most varied timbres as skillfully as the band jumps from one genre to another.

Thus, it easily jumps from the hardcore drive of the opening "Roots Rock Riot" and "Spit Out the Poison" to the pop melodies of "State of Emergency" and "Trouble", passing through that little gem "Destroy the Dancefloor", perhaps the most representative track of the album (along with the schizoid "Cause Ah Riot"), which also features strong electronic infiltrations and a remarkable layer of guitars, the reggae-punk-metal of "Ratrace", "Almight", and "Rude Boy For Life", the dub-rap of "Killing Me" supported by nu metal riffs, a melodic chorus, and a bridge rich in samples. In "Ease Up", the baton passes from a punk intro, a more dub continuation and bridge, and finally a refrain predominantly from world music. A heavier, creeping groove appears in the closing "Choices And Decisions" with an anthemic hardcore chorus (not perfectly achieved, however).

A very catchy album that can be appreciated by a wide range of listeners, especially those more open-minded who love a certain type of "cut and paste" music that dares and experiments.