…the endless road turns dark: THE SKULL – ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’

With pedigree and history in mind, The Skull have managed to deliver on the almost unthinkable promise of rekindling the flame of classic era Trouble. While ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’ may not—due to both nostalgia and overall execution—quite eclipse Trouble masterpieces ‘Trouble’ (aka ‘Psalm 9’) or its doomier follow-up, ‘The Skull,’ it would sonically fit comfortably between ‘Run to the Light’ and their 1990 self-titled release for Def American Recordings. The Skull have essentially picked up where Trouble left off twenty-five years ago, but with a warmer, more mature approach to songwriting.

Despite the obvious stylistic similarities between the two bands, The Skull can stand on its own two legs, particularly due to front man Eric Wagner’s voice. While Wagner still tackles themes steeped in spirituality, existentialism, and internal struggle, his voice has deepened with age. While this may reign in some of the youthful aggression and desperation found on Trouble’s early releases it yields a weathered, sage-like wisdom to the Skull’s compositions.

Though Trouble’s Rick Wartell and Bruce Franklin stand as two of the great guitar duos in metal, Lothar Keller and Matt Goldsborough give them a run for their money, particularly on the album standout “The Touch of Reality,” a doomed ode to misery. Holzner anchors the tune with just one of many beguiling basslines and Keller and Goldsborough take their shredding to sprawling heights. With “The Door,” another album highlight, The Skull have composed the gloomiest song that Trouble never recorded. It is a bass-heavy track carried along on waves of creepy organ courtesy of Jeff Olson interspersed with haunting roars of distortion and Wagner’s ruminations on inner turmoil.

At this point it may be impossible to separate The Skull from Trouble’s legacy, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Wagner clearly is still thematically inspired by seeking answers to the unknown, loss, guilt and forgiveness, and spirituality or mysticism—timeless themes that lent early Trouble much of their appeal. Despite the similarities, The Skull are on the road to forging their own identity. ‘For Those Which Are Asleep’ has easily surpassed expectations and proven to be one of 2014’s highlights. It’s unfortunate that Jeff Olson has amicably split from the band as his drumming was a distinctive feature of The Skull’s sound. Fans of early Trouble and traditional doom will not be disappointed by this killer debut…

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…THE SKULL – “Sometime Yesterday Mourning c/w The Last Judgment”

With a finger on the pulse of the days of yore and a gaze fixed toward the future The Skull have resurrected the unique, introspective doom-laden sound of classic era Trouble. After a string of pioneering releases between 1984 and 1990 Trouble, for better or worse, went off in a new direction. While the 90’s albums ‘Manic Frustration’ and ‘Plastic Green Head’ included some undeniably killer tracks, the magic of their first four releases seemed to be a thing of the past. Enter: The Skull.

Though Trouble’s ‘Run to the Light’ and their self-titled fourth album were masterpieces in their own right, The Skull have—based on their single “Sometime Yesterday Mourning c/w The Last Judgment”—picked up where Trouble’s sophomore outing, ‘The Skull’, left off. Original Trouble members (and arguably pivotal personnel) Eric Wagner and Jeff “Oly” Olson, along with alumnus Ron Holzner have managed to rekindle the magic and spirit of classic Trouble with the aid of Lothar Keller and Michael Carpenter.

Enlisting veteran engineer Billy Anderson for the recording of their first single has paid off in a major way. “Sometime Yesterday Mourning” is slightly muddy, surprisingly heavy, and definitely would not sound out of place on either ‘Psalm 9’ or ‘The Skull’. Perhaps the main difference in sound stems from Eric Wagner’s voice which has somewhat weathered and deepened. The band, in a nod to the past, has also re-recorded Trouble’s contribution to the 1983 ‘Metal Massacre IV’ compilation album. While it would have been great to get two new tracks, The Skull does not miss a beat with “The Last Judgment”.

If anything “Sometime Yesterday Mourning” proves that The Skull are the real deal and not just a nostalgia act. To top it off, they kill it live. Since the release of “Sometime Yesterday Mourning c/w The Last Judgment” guitarist (and former Trouble bassist) Chuck Robinson briefly replaced Michael Carpenter before amicably departing ways with The Skull. In his stead the band has, in a masterstroke of genius, recruited former Pentagram guitarist Matt Goldsborough. Goldsborough did a fantastic job filling in for Victor Griffin and he probably would have breathed new life into Pentagram following the capable, yet lackluster, ‘Last Rites’.

While Trouble’s ‘The Distortion Field’ was a fine album, it’s clear that Franklin and Wartell have little interest in revisiting the sound of days long past. Not only are The Skull willing to look to the past, but they are also interested in continuing and further developing a creative trajectory that has, in the minds of many fans, ended too soon. If “Sometime Yesterday Mourning” is an adequate representation of where the band’s collective heads are at both creatively and compositionally then their forthcoming album is going to be one to look out for. Get your copy of the single HERE.


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