Much like the Czech Republic’s Brutally Deceased, who took their name from a song by Swedish death metal legends, Grave, Southern California’s Skinfather is named after a Dismember song. And while the band’s sound is mostly rooted in the old Swedish buzz of yore, it adds a little modern crust and hardcore to it, not unlike fellow mid range loving countrymen, Black Breath or to some extent, bands like Nails and Trap Them.

Only those with a turntable will be able to appreciate this tasty little slab of mid range goodness, as its only available on LP (which does come with a digital download as well), but if you are one of those nostalgic metal types you have one anyway. The analog sound allows the Stockholm buzz to crackle, distort and fuzz with aplomb and allow the riffs to really breathe fire. And of course those riffs are as you’d expect from a Southern California band named after a Dismember song; lots of d beat canters, some burly grooves, slightly melodic moments and a bit of a hardcore backbone. The vocals of Stephen McCall might be a sticking point for some, as while the music is certainly dripping with more Stockholm intensity, his shouted vocals are pure hardcore.

Less blast and grinding than Nails or Trap Them, much of Skinfather’s actual riffs are certainly rooted in more Dismember-y pacing and structure, namely the bands last few album, possibly even a dash of Entombed’s Wolverine Blues,  (i.e “Hellish Grave”). Though certainly nothing as classic or memorable there are a few fine head banging moments as the thirty minutes blusters by with a nice energetic fury bolstered by the rawer take on the classic mid range tone. Only somber mid song instrumental “Atraxia” breaks up the other wise raucous music as the likes of “Drown in Black”, “Calloused”, and the very mid paced Dismember-ish closer “Impaled”.

In all a pretty solid release from a band that could take over the mantle left by the short lived Fatalist, an American band who did the Stockholm sound about as good as any American band has, even with the more hardcore vocals. Now how about a  CD release for the unwashed masses?

[Visit the band's website]

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