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Shedding Skin (2003) self-financed HMM Rank:  
What struck me immediately was the vocal performance of Darren Pretty. Sounding very much like a mix of Dio and Tim "Ripper" Owens, Darren doesn't have fantastic range but he does possess a raw, energetic style that compliments the music prefectly. From growls to shrieks, this guy has a great set of pipes. Musically, a fair comparison is Jugulator-era Judas Priest, though the band has a modernized edge to their sound. Drummer Peter Stewart is a maniac behind the kit, relentlessly pounding the double-bass - and your skull - into submission. His work on "Hate", my favorite track, is phenomenal. Combined with the tight bass lines of Kym Kranixfeld, the rhythm section of Skintilla drives each track with punishing precision. The twin guitar harmonies of Burgess and Jason Beveridge lend quite an '80s thrash feel to the disc, with Lynch-inspired solos placed throughout. I've already mentioned the high octane "Hate" as being a highlight of Shedding Skin. Immediately following on the heels of that track is "Live the Lie", a close runner-up for my choice of the album. Darren delivers the lyrics in a bit of a shouted, hardcorish style while the guitars lay down some intensely grooving riffs. Definitely the catchiest tune on the disc. The EP closes with "Silence", an acoustically driven ballad that proves the band, and Darren in particular, can slow it down and still deliver a meaningful performance. Skintilla is a band that will undoubtedly appeal to fans of modern thrash/metal. Even though Shedding Skin has only recently reached North American shores, the disc was released in 2003. It appears that a full-length follow-up is in the works, which should make quite a splash on the metal scene once it arrives.
Reviewed 08/04/2007
Official Skintilla Website
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