Skyclad
Forward Into the Past
Listenable Records
2017
Skyclad had taken a backseat with their members taking a much deserved sabbatical after years and years of toiling it in the studio and on stage, with certain ones simply enjoying life, with the occasional performance here and there, while others (ie Graeme English and Steve Ramsey) actually channeling their creativity into a re-emergent Satan (a NWOBHM band they used to be in during the 80s). So what could us longtime fans expect from this new album, which in fact musically was in the making for quite some time, with song ideas worked on for quite a while, but lyrics not taking shape, until much later in the project?
There’s actually a bit of reinvention, a different sound certainly in line with what the band has been doing in their post Martin Walkyier albums, but quite bold in that the band decides to somewhat tone down their “folk” sound, which is not absent, but a bit more discreet a bit more interwoven in their sound and not acting like a “rhythm guitar” of sorts. Obviously the return of the Wayward, Dave Pugh, on guitars has played a bit of role, with the overall sound taking a few queues from the mid-90s clad, but manifesting itself a little differently. Heck even the cover feels like a distant cousin of “Jonah’s Ark”, although the album itself is a distant cousin twice removed. Shares some blood, but is quite a different beast altogether. In fact the “clad” of old is minimized in favor of a band that dares to play like a metallized Tenpole Tudor. A bit more “punk”, while still not having “a million sellers”, but still politically and socially conscious.
“A Storyteller’s Moon (Intro)” is one of the most interesting intros, based on a violin melody that could have easily turned into a fantastic “song”, but instead is wasted into a “welcome back” statement… that’s actually sweet...
“State of the Union Now” is a hard hitting, s-punk-y metal number, with the folklore elements evident, but smartly strewn throughout the song, strategically placed. It actually feels a little odd to have so bold a guitar take-overs in a song… it’s maybe a little too excitable and tries to throw in all its tricks, new and old in the sink and hit you with it and while it succeeds, it’s a little overwhelming at first… also in a way it’s the band’s answer to its own “Desperanto” (A Song for Europe?) some twenty two years later...
“Change is Coming” also feels cut from a similar cloth, but a bit more toned down, with what sounds like a mandolin or other bizarre stringer, giving it some splashes of color and certainly a lot more violin here, in a song that feels like it has successfully mixed its own DNA with the ancestry from the “Prince” and “Jonah’s” album...
“Starstruck?” is an odd one, with half of it feeling very vintage, but it’s vocal melodies and style being quite different; it’s lyrics are pretty clever too with their references being cleverly pointed toward a multitude of recipients.
“A Heavy Price to Pay” is quite a bawdy number, typical of how the band does “Drinking” type songs, but I really would love to ask Kevin about them, as they might seem to be applicable in not one or two, but three different levels… heh.
“Words Fail Me” is a pretty sorrowful tune that again feels able to mix the clad of old, musically, with Kevin’s style of songwriting, feeling like something that could have been taken from “Irrational Anthems” or “The Answer Machine?”… probably one of the better songs the band has done in years.
“Forward into the Past” is almost “typical” of British humor, with the band even poking fun at themselves, hipster-ia, the music business, no one’s safe from their sharp wit.
“Unresolved” is a beautiful fiddle and acoustic instrumental number just under a minute, tender and beautiful all the same.
“The Queen of the Moors” is a very folklore number, a little reminiscent to the “Well Traveled Man” but really enjoyable, nonetheless.
“Last Summer’s Rain” does hardly feel like Skyclad, at least in their traditional sense, but it’s main riff makes sure you can easily oversee this minor matter…
“The Measure” feels a bit like the illegitimate lovechild of Forgodsake (Kevin’s ex-band) with the claddies making it fit (just-about) to the clad cannon. It’s a smart take on people seeing everything as a competition and always feeling like losers against some arbitrary “measure”… funk dat.
“Borderline” is another experimental tune, half claddie, half something more prog, with some really touching lyrics by Kev. While it’s almost clear what it’s talking about, it never really states it “clearly”… even further underlining the magnitude of the issue. Lyrically made me chill as much as some of the lyrics on Marillion’s “F.E.A.R”…
“A Storyteller’s Moon (Outro)” feels like the other half of the song that wasn’t meant to be… with Kevin delivering again a semi-spoken verse to bid us adieu…
Well, the “same”, quite different, very elegantly managing to bridge the past with the future via the present… it’s a very worth addition to the ever expanding catalog of a band that gave birth to an entire subgenre in metal, only to see bearded bawdy Viking types steal their thunder from down under… (shit my rhymes will never be as dope) - It doesn’t matter…
There’s actually a bit of reinvention, a different sound certainly in line with what the band has been doing in their post Martin Walkyier albums, but quite bold in that the band decides to somewhat tone down their “folk” sound, which is not absent, but a bit more discreet a bit more interwoven in their sound and not acting like a “rhythm guitar” of sorts. Obviously the return of the Wayward, Dave Pugh, on guitars has played a bit of role, with the overall sound taking a few queues from the mid-90s clad, but manifesting itself a little differently. Heck even the cover feels like a distant cousin of “Jonah’s Ark”, although the album itself is a distant cousin twice removed. Shares some blood, but is quite a different beast altogether. In fact the “clad” of old is minimized in favor of a band that dares to play like a metallized Tenpole Tudor. A bit more “punk”, while still not having “a million sellers”, but still politically and socially conscious.
“A Storyteller’s Moon (Intro)” is one of the most interesting intros, based on a violin melody that could have easily turned into a fantastic “song”, but instead is wasted into a “welcome back” statement… that’s actually sweet...
“State of the Union Now” is a hard hitting, s-punk-y metal number, with the folklore elements evident, but smartly strewn throughout the song, strategically placed. It actually feels a little odd to have so bold a guitar take-overs in a song… it’s maybe a little too excitable and tries to throw in all its tricks, new and old in the sink and hit you with it and while it succeeds, it’s a little overwhelming at first… also in a way it’s the band’s answer to its own “Desperanto” (A Song for Europe?) some twenty two years later...
“Change is Coming” also feels cut from a similar cloth, but a bit more toned down, with what sounds like a mandolin or other bizarre stringer, giving it some splashes of color and certainly a lot more violin here, in a song that feels like it has successfully mixed its own DNA with the ancestry from the “Prince” and “Jonah’s” album...
“Starstruck?” is an odd one, with half of it feeling very vintage, but it’s vocal melodies and style being quite different; it’s lyrics are pretty clever too with their references being cleverly pointed toward a multitude of recipients.
“A Heavy Price to Pay” is quite a bawdy number, typical of how the band does “Drinking” type songs, but I really would love to ask Kevin about them, as they might seem to be applicable in not one or two, but three different levels… heh.
“Words Fail Me” is a pretty sorrowful tune that again feels able to mix the clad of old, musically, with Kevin’s style of songwriting, feeling like something that could have been taken from “Irrational Anthems” or “The Answer Machine?”… probably one of the better songs the band has done in years.
“Forward into the Past” is almost “typical” of British humor, with the band even poking fun at themselves, hipster-ia, the music business, no one’s safe from their sharp wit.
“Unresolved” is a beautiful fiddle and acoustic instrumental number just under a minute, tender and beautiful all the same.
“The Queen of the Moors” is a very folklore number, a little reminiscent to the “Well Traveled Man” but really enjoyable, nonetheless.
“Last Summer’s Rain” does hardly feel like Skyclad, at least in their traditional sense, but it’s main riff makes sure you can easily oversee this minor matter…
“The Measure” feels a bit like the illegitimate lovechild of Forgodsake (Kevin’s ex-band) with the claddies making it fit (just-about) to the clad cannon. It’s a smart take on people seeing everything as a competition and always feeling like losers against some arbitrary “measure”… funk dat.
“Borderline” is another experimental tune, half claddie, half something more prog, with some really touching lyrics by Kev. While it’s almost clear what it’s talking about, it never really states it “clearly”… even further underlining the magnitude of the issue. Lyrically made me chill as much as some of the lyrics on Marillion’s “F.E.A.R”…
“A Storyteller’s Moon (Outro)” feels like the other half of the song that wasn’t meant to be… with Kevin delivering again a semi-spoken verse to bid us adieu…
Well, the “same”, quite different, very elegantly managing to bridge the past with the future via the present… it’s a very worth addition to the ever expanding catalog of a band that gave birth to an entire subgenre in metal, only to see bearded bawdy Viking types steal their thunder from down under… (shit my rhymes will never be as dope) - It doesn’t matter…