Viking Skull Heavy Metal Thunder
by Erik Tweedy
Staff Writer
Have you ever put on a newly released CD and the whole time you are listening to it, you are thinking, “Been there, done that?” That is the way it feels with the new, or should I say repackaged, release from Viking Skull. Heavy Metal Thunder comes to us in a newly remastered package that combines the band’s debut release, Born in Hell, and its 2007 EP, Chapter One. Five never-before-released bonus songs also are included among Heavy Metal Thunder’s 20 tracks.
Hailing from England, Viking Skull got its start back in 2002 and appeared on two of Bam Margera’s Viva La Bam skater-punk compilations prior to hitting the studio its debut release, Born in Hell, in 2006. Original band members Roddy Stone, Frank Regan and Kevin Waldie have taken equal parts of Motorhead, Black Sabbath, Kiss and Wasp and doused them in Whiskey and Absinthe for what can best be described as the bastard child of Ritchie Blackmore.
Sounding a lot like Dio/Blackmore-era Rainbow with Lemmy on vocals, Viking Skull trudges its way through several forgettable songs. With titles like “Beers, Drugs and Bitches,” “Rape Pillage and Burn” and the love song “Inject My Woman,” listeners easily can tell that there are no rocket scientists at work here.
Is this a bad release? No, definitely not. It is just not all that original or inspiring, and there is not much on here that you’ll find yourself humming to in the morning. Several tracks have very similar guitar intros, and it takes getting to track No. 4 before you realize the CD isn’t just one long song. “Red Hot Woman” does provide a bit of hope as a standout track, and if you are into Ozz- era Sabbath, “Crank the Volume,” “Seedealer” and “Skull Heaven” might just be your ticket to ride.
There is plenty of ‘70s-inspired guitar work here by Dom Wallace and Frank Regan. And Kevin Waldie does his best Geezer Butler impression on every track, while newcomer Jess Margera crosses over from his other band, CKY, to keep the time. Musically, this record is decent, but Roddy Stone’s Cookie Monster vocal style quickly gets old, and by track No. 6, you might find yourself just listening to the music and not even paying attention to the vocals or the lyrics.
A few tracks have a Southern-fried tinge to them, bringing in elements of Blackfoot and the Outlaws. But bands like Black Stone Cherry have whipped up a far more successful recipe than what Viking Skull has baked up here. Most of this just feels old and all too familiar. It’s easy to understand what the band is trying to do here, given it hails from the homeland of old-school metal and, to their credit, it is refreshing to hear a newer band that is not following the cookie-cutter mold of the nu-meta,l shoe-gazer crowd.
Band:
Roddy Stone – Vocals/Guitar
Dom Wallace – Guitar
Frank Regan – Guitar
Kevin Waldie – Bass
Jess Margera – Drums
Track Listing:
1. Beers, Drugs and Bitches
2. Wizard’s Sleeve
3. Frostbite
4. Rape Pillage And Burn
5. Crazy Trucker
6. Skull Heaven
7. Born In Hell
8. Crank The Volume
9. Red Hot Woman
10. Seedealer
11. Heavy Metal Thunder
12. Saddle Up
13. Double Or Quits (demo version)
14. Rock and Roll Suicide
15. Conquer The World
16. Baby Let Me Know
17. Skulls & Whiskey
18. Dirty Dirty Hole
19. Inject My Woman (With Love)
20. You Can’t Kill Rock & Roll
Label: Restricted Release
Website: http://www.myspace.com/vikingskull
Hardrock Haven rating: 5.3/10