Lumped in with the grunge scene, Skin Yard deserved better for their troubles. For a start, it has a darker, more inaccessible edge than say, Pearl Jam etc, and it certainly likes the early primal fuzz of the Sub-Pop scene. Slotted alongside other no-thrills rockers Gruntruck, Skin Yard remind a helluva lot of Mindfunk. Although Mindfunk (mainly because of their name0 were lumped in with the funk metal trend, they eventually slipped into a more quicksand approach to things. Skin Yard are more rubbery, imagine a Mindfunk from the first album meeting a Mindfunk from their more gluey days and you may have an idea as to what Skin Yard are about. I like it, mainly due to its cool flow, at times like a darker Mother Love Bone or slightly funkier Soundgarden. 'River Throat' brings to mind the angst-ridden obscurity known as Kinghorse, there's even a touch of Sabbath and C.O.C. in those grooves. 'Burn A Hole' has a cool bass lead, Alice In Chains in approach, whilst the badly titled 'Psychoriflepowerhypnotized' is more of a rattling trip.
A decent album from an underrated band. Quite wholesome and fulfilling in its nature.
7.5/10
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