Skindred drew my attention with their addition to the Need For Speed Underground 2 game. The song ´Nobody´ was one of the songs that gave the game a great kick in the ass. With their previous album Roots Rock Riot they convinced me with their Ragga metal. So I was quite siked when their latest effort hit the streets. One of the first things about Shark Bites And Dogfights that I mentioned was their total playing time of 30 minutes and the cover of ‘Electric Avenue’ from Eddy Grant. So to be honest I was quite bummed out that they only had written material for only 25 minutes and called it a new album. On the other hand, Skindred is probably still the only band that mixes metal with reggae music and that has to count for something, doesn’t it?

 

‘Stand For Something’ is the first song of the album and shows us a typical stadium rocksound which is so popular with bands like P.O.D and Papa Roach nowadays. Not quite a great step ahead if you’d ask me. On the other hand the first two songs are great and Benji Webbe does his thing both in brutal vocals and melodical parts. Up next is the ‘Electric Avenue’ cover of Eddy Grant. On the first tones of this version my jaw falls to the floor. Skindred did a great job on the cover. They took the original version and made it entirely into Skindred style, which turned out pretty great if you’d ask me.

 

The vibe that is build up with the first two songs continuous with ‘Calling All Stations’ and ‘Corrupted’. Both songs that even reminded me a bit of ‘Nobody’. With ‘Who Are You?’ Skindred gives the listeners a break to catch their breath and to get ready for the final two songs that blast the album to another level.

 

In the end I’m really bummed out the album stops after 30 minutes because my Skindred hunger isn't satisfied yet. Benji Webbe has made a great step forward with his vocals and even the open production isn’t really bothering me. But still this album is just way too short!