ALBUM REVIEW: Skindred – Smile

after 25 years of hard work, with raucous live performances and a total disregard for the musical rulebook, Skindred are finally earning the respect and recognition from the alternative community that they have always deserved

It’s been a little since we last heard from the legendary Welsh metal outfit that is Skindred. Back in 2018, the band dropped their seventh album ‘Big Tings’, seeing the often eclectic act produce an album with a far cleaner, streamlined rock sound, whilst retaining the fun spirit that Skindred’s music is known for. Five years would go by until album eight, and now with the band turning twenty-five, we are finally treated to their new album ‘Smile’.

Those who may have found ‘Big Tings’ a little too tame will be pleased to know that ‘Smile’ sees the band generally pivoting back towards a heavier sound, with plenty of sludgy guitar riffs, pummelling percussion, and fierce vocal performances. This, however, is more than just the band deciding to go heavy once more; ‘Smile’ feels like a band both reconnecting with their roots, and finally accepting just how legendary they have become. 

The performances across ‘Smile’ are certain to go down as some of the finest from Skindred to date, rivalling some of the material of the band’s magnum opus ‘Union Black’. From the get go with ‘Our Religion’, Skindred sound absolutely massive, with the bass of Daniel Pugsley and the guitars of Mikey Demus sounding simply monstrous, dripping with a swaggering sludge. The vocals of Benji Webbe sound more delightfully unhinged than ever, with some of the most simply kick-ass unclean vocals to have ever come from the legendary frontman. It’s a mission statement and a half; Skindred are here to blow your minds and blow out your speakers.

‘Gimme That Boom’ and ‘Set Fazers’ both pack that frantic rock club energy that the band perfected on previous releases such as ‘Sound the Siren’; the percussive backbone of Arya Goggin has a way of simply forcing you to move, with his simplistic yet bombastic rhythms at the core of the blazing musical soundscape. This is even more-so the case on the furiously fun ‘Life That’s Free’, with rippling hi-hats and a free spirited pace that almost feels a little DnB in nature.

Tracks such as ‘L.O.V.E. (Smile)’ and ‘Mama’ harness stylistic choices from reggae, which is no major surprise for Skindred, whom have always have incorporated elements of reggae and hip-hop into their metal sound. However, these tracks, particularly ‘Mama’, are the clearest representations of such genres since ‘More Fire’ back on their 2014 album ‘Kill The Power’. With classic snappy reggae rhythms and some particularly fantastic vocal delivery from Webbe, even these cleaner tracks feel well-placed on the album, with ‘Mama’ in particular acting as an engaging and vibrant look at the pressures of working-class black woken. The musicality is plenty fun to listen to, but doesn’t undermine the themes and songwriting in any way.

The album is wrapped up with the celebratory underdog anthem of ‘Unstoppable’, a track that seems to have become a fan favourite with its bombastic musicality and powerful message of defiance in the face of those who seek to deny your existence. And frankly, the album couldn’t end on a better note; after 25 years of hard work, with raucous live performances and a total disregard for the musical rulebook, Skindred are finally earning the respect and recognition from the alternative community that they have always deserved. 

The Dred are unstoppable, unrepentant, and unapologetic; ‘Smile’ feels like the moment this band finally have delivered a performance that leaves no room for argument that they are worthy of the festival headlines they have played, an album that could only be thwarted to number one in the UK charts by major label antics. ‘Smile’ may well open up the finest era yet in Skindred’s storied history.

RATING: 81/100 – Very Good

For Fans Of: Enter Shikari, Nova Twins, Ocean Grove, WARGASM 

Physical copies of ‘Smile’ can be purchased here. Signed copies are available here.

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