Skinman

Allegiance already proved they had the chops to weather the worst of the '90s with D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n. As an Australian thrash band strongly influenced from overseas themes, they focus on cranking out rude grooves amid knuckle-cracking thrash intermissions. This album is indeed weighed down at times by the groove, but so was the debut. But here, all of the earlier deficiencies are amplified, with Higson's pseudo-Hetfield croon becoming hampered by self-parody. The band squeezes hard enough to let off a few solid, more harried thrash assaults, but it isn't really enough to outweigh the groove and decaying (then) modern tropes. As such, Skinman is a sinking ship right from rip, although to Allegiance's credit, this has more moments than many of their contemporaries.

And to be frank, the groovier sections aren't the worst I've heard. it's just that mud-butt thrash like "Wasted Life" sounds so anemic and plodding. Then the band tosses in death growls and random, superficial noodling sections only to arrive at a neutered breakdown. Early Machine Head this is no longer, now its starting to sound like Skinlab. To Allegiance's credit, they sound relatively tight, and the guitar tone is harsh yet bold, given an expansive berth to account for the wide-swinging riffs. At its best, Skinman digs six feet under to recapture the spirit of Overkill's From the Underground and Below, or occasionally evokes the rowdy temperament of Pissing Razors and Pantera. But there are so many stinkers here, including "Taken by Force;" just a plodding lead interval a 12 year old could learn in a day sewn together with dazed and confused chugging. The band embarrassingly stumbles on and then the song just ends. The hefty miasma anchored to the bouncy riffage of the debut is pushed aside in favor of '90s baggage, perhaps as a side effect of the material on D.e.s.t.i.t.u.t.i.o.n being written far earlier than the release date.

Much of Skinman comes off as a waste of talent, as the band were in an entirely different place just two years prior. Higson has a strong voice and could excel in a band with a better grasp of the style, but this just comes off as fad-chasing to me. I can't help it when the band drunkenly lurches through "Pity," with Higson caterwauling "Whose to blame?" atonally above the most boring riffs on the entire album. The slower, brooding power ballad "Hands of Fate" showcases his ability to sing effectively, almost sounding like Overkill's "Soulitude" at points, with those killer, emotive solos. Clearly, more experimental aptitude would have gone a long way here. as the production values are solid. Skinman isn't an absurdly long release, and as far as '90s thrash is concerned, is about par with the lowered standard. Not the worst I've heard, but has a lot of major issues. Indifferent towards this one overall, as Allegiance could have done better.