Skinlab

San Francisco-based quartet Skinlab return with their third disc, Revolting Room. The CD marks a heavier sound than past Skinlab offerings, likely due in part to the new guitar team of Snake (formerly of Skrew) and Glen Telford. The duo seems to be a much better fit musically than previous axe-men Mike Roberts and Gary Wendt, but tracks like "Disturbing the Art of Expression” also show the growth of vocalist Steev Esquivel, likely due in part to the extensive touring the band did for the last record, Bound, Gagged and Blindfolded. Esquivel’s vocals have gotten stranger and more abrasive with time, which just adds to Skinlab’s credibility. A good chunk of the material on this disk was written on the road and seems to speak more to the rumoured social "issues” of the band’s lead vocalist than it does of the revolutionary material of the past couple of Skinlab albums. The disc is littered with rants, raves and diatribes from fans of the band (for real, they collected these "expressions” via a toll-free number they set up while recording the record). It is an interesting — albeit scary in spots — peek into the average American youth’s mind.