Skid+row

Skid Row were one of the very last hair metal bands to hit the mainstream before grunge took over in the early '90s. While the band's self-titled debut employed standard pop-metal riffs and generic lyrics (albeit to great commercial success), 1991's Slave to the Grind and 1995's Subhuman Race broke away from the pop-metal mold with uncharacteristically hard, thrashy guitars and unique songwriting techniques…

The material on Skid Row is mostly typical pop-metal fluff, but since Skid Row was one of the hardest bands to find commercial success during the hair metal fad, the songs sound angrier and more aggressive than the lyrics and hooks might indicate. Part of this is due simply to the musical talent in the band, and part of it is due to vocalist Sebastian Bach; his tendency to oversing actually gives some much-needed nasty attitude to most of the songs, and when the music does match those sentiments (i.e., "Youth Gone Wild"), the results fulfill, rather than merely hint at, Skid Row's potential…

For many, the face of Skid Row will always be that of outspoken frontman Sebastian Bach. But since the late '90s, three original members of the band have been carrying on the Skid Row name without Bach and instead with Johnny Solinger manning the mic. 2006 saw the release of the second Solinger-era Skid Row release, Revolutions Per Minute, and the group's sound remains largely the same. In other words, you get the same angry-yet-melodic riff rockers that you long ago came to expect from the group, while Solinger's singing style isn't that far removed from Bach's…

This after-the-fact compilation from one of the last hard rock bands to make any sort of impression before the alt-rock revolution made most of it meaningless does its job, limited as it is, fairly well. All the hit singles that Sebastian Bach and company cranked out during their brief run of superstardom are here; none particularly holds up out of its era…

Skid Row get harder and heavier on their sophomore effort, matching Sebastian Bach's gritty, streetwise rants to lean, driving riffs that manage to back up all the attitudinal posturing. Largely missing are the bits of pop-metal fluff that filled out Skid Row; in their place are tales from the dark side about drugs, corruption, and the like, with Bach affecting a tough, threatening persona most of the time…

Skid Row get harder and heavier on their sophomore effort, matching Sebastian Bach's gritty, streetwise rants to lean, driving riffs that manage to back up all the attitudinal posturing. Largely missing are the bits of pop-metal fluff that filled out Skid Row; in their place are tales from the dark side about drugs, corruption, and the like, with Bach affecting a tough, threatening persona most of the time…

B-Sides Ourselves was intended to be a stopgap EP, but it turned out to be Skid Row's last recording for three years. It wasn't a bad way to step away from the spotlight, actually. A collection of five covers, B-Sides Ourselves ranks among the best music Skid Row ever recorded, simply because it's so raw and seething with energy…

Skid Row waited out the grunge storm and returned in 1995 with Subhuman Race, their strongest and most vicious record to date. Abandoning most of the pop-metal posturing of their early hit albums, Skid Row strip back their music to the basics – roaring guitars and Sebastian Bach's shriek…

Parish Hall was a power trio from the California Bay Area. The band consisted of Gary Wagner (guitar, piano, vocals), John Haden (bass), and Steve Adams (drums). Specializing in a hard rock/blues rock sound, their album was originally released near the end of 1970 on a small local California record label…

After 2 albums with his band Skid Row, Gary recorded "Grinding Stone" in 1973. This album was not that much different than the music he had done before,but it was better, more polished…