Skid Row – ‘The Gang’s All Here’ [Album Review]

Back in 1989, rock newcomers Skid Row exploded onto the scene with the support of fellow New Jersey rock royalty Jon Bon Jovi. Their brand of edgy, sleazy hard rock made their self-titled debut an instant hit, and while the follow-up Slave to the Grind took that multi-million-selling blueprint and gave it a harder, almost thrashier makeover, subsequent albums and a well-documented split with frontman Sebastian Bach saw the seemingly unstoppable Skid Row train quickly getting derailed.

While subsequent line-up changes and replacements for their attention-grabbing frontman have seen the band continue, they have failed to capture the heady heights of their formative years. However, with the group now teaming up with former H.E.A.T. vocalist Erik Grönwall after his jaw-dropping rendition of “18 & Life,” it really does feel like the band has found the perfect frontman and nowhere is that more evident than on their foundation-shaking new record, The Gang’s All here.

The album kicks off with “Hell or High Water,” a huge opener for the band but one that only scratches the surface of what these rockers still have to offer the world. Sounding like the Skid Row we all grew up loving, the fist-pumping thump of the title track and the snotty punk rock stomp of “Time Bomb” will simply take your breath away. Now, could it be that the arrival of Grönwall has put a creative rocket up the arses of this much-loved group? Quite possibly, but hearing his wail on the somewhat appropriately named “Resurrected” does leave you feeling like we’ve got our Skid Row back.

Sounding like a band full of hunger, The Gang’s All Here simply doesn’t have any weak tracks on it and, while it might not contain anything as iconic as “Youth Gone Wild,” it’s impossible not to imagine the likes of “Time Bomb” or “Tear It Down” being anything other than absolutely ripping when it comes to the upcoming live show. Throughout this record full of gasoline-fuelled rockers, Grönwall has shown his set of lungs are more than capable of providing the fire driving the engine of this group and, as he has already shown what he can produce when it comes to slower numbers, it comes as no surprise that his performance on “October’s Song” is quite stunning.

This incredible return to form ends with “World’s On Fire,” a foot-stomping, heavy metal powerhouse of a song which should have any remaining doubters who had written these New Jersey veterans off clamouring for tickets for the upcoming tour dates. On the evidence of this album, you’d be a fool to miss the shows and the rebirth of these New Jersey hard rock heroes.

The Gang’s All Here Track Listing:

1. Hell or High Water
2. The Gang’s All Here
3. Not Dead Yet
4. Time Bomb
5. Resurrected
6. Nowhere Fast
7. When the Lights Come On
8. Tear It Down
9. October’s Song
10. World’s on Fire

Run Time: 41:14
Release Date: October 14, 2022
Record Label: earMusic