Skyclad

English folk-metal (!) band, featuring Martin Walkyier on vocals, and sounding VERY much different from his previous band, Sabbat! This was one of countless bands that Europe enjoyed while U.S. fans hardly even heard of them; for a long time, the only song of theirs I owned was "Dreamer Deceiver" on the second Judas Priest tribute album. Then, Century Media listed Irrational Anthems and Oui Avant-Garde a Chance on their sale page, for a mere $2 each...and the rest, as they say, was history. :)

Oh, if you didn't know: "skyclad" is ancient Celtic slang for "bare ass naked". Dunno if that reflects their concert dress though (hey! there's an idea...)

"Prince of the Poverty Line"

  1. "Civil War Dance" (5:04)
  2. "Cardboard City" (5:05)
  3. "Sins of Emission" (3:33)
  4. "Land of the Rising Slum" (4:29)
  5. "The One Piece Puzzle" (5:52)
  6. "A Bellyful of Emptiness" (4:57)
  7. "A Dog in the Manger" (6:10)
  8. "Gammadion Seed" (5:27)
  9. "Womb of the Worm" (6:54)
  10. "The Truth Famine" (4:32)
  11. "Emerald" (3:34)
  12. "A Room Next Door" (4:52)
  13. "When All Else Fails" (4:19)

I think this was the first album where they really began to fuse thrash metal with folk. There's also a few more eclectic songs (well, more eclectic than having a fiddle as a lead instrument, anyway) -- for instance, "Cardboard City" and "Womb of the Worm" are done in total stoner-rock style. A shame they never went further in that direction...

"The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea"

  1. "Still Spinning Shrapnel" (4:34)
  2. "Just What Nobody Wanted" (4:48)
  3. "Art-Nazi" (3:42)
  4. "Jeopardy" (4:20)
  5. "Brimstone Ballet" (4:13)
  6. "A Stranger in the Garden" (5:27)
  7. "Another Fine Mess" (6:15)
  8. "Turncoat Rebellion" (2:06)
  9. "Halo of Flies" (5:23)
  10. "Desperanto (A Song for Europe?)" (3:29)
  11. "The Present Imperfect" (4:04)
  12. "The Dance of the Dandy Hound"--instrumental, unlisted (2:29)

Gritty vocals and power riffs make this more thrash than folk, if you discount the song "Brimstone Ballet" and the fiddle that plays through each song. "Still Spinning Shrapnel" is pretty catchy, but the rest is fairly unmemorable.

"Irrational Anthems"

  1. "Inequality Street" (4:05)
  2. "The Wrong Song" (3:56)
  3. "Snake Charming" (4:04)
  4. "Penny Dreadful" (3:08)
  5. "The Sinful Ensemble" (5:21)
  6. "My Mother in Darkness" (4:00)
  7. "The Spiral Staircase"--instrumental (2:23)
  8. "No Deposit, No Return" (4:30)
  9. "Sabre Dance"--instrumental (3:06)
  10. "I Dubious" (3:12)
  11. "Science Never Sleeps" (5:05)
  12. "History Lessons" (3:37)
  13. "Quantity Time" (5:14)

"Life's really a chocolate box" is quite an odd lyric to start out an album (maybe they just finished watching Forrest Gump??); but then, oddness is this band's middle name. How else would you describe a band that features a FIDDLE PLAYER as a lead instrument?? "Sabre Dance" is a high-speed instrumental adapted from some Russian ballet, and despite what Sentinel says, I'm all but POSITIVE it was used as the theme song from some 60's TV show...

"Oui Avant-Garde A Chance"

  1. "If I Die Laughing It'll Be an Act of God" (3:48)
  2. "Great Blow for a Day Job" (4:19)
  3. "Constance Eternal" (5:52)
  4. "Postcard from Planet Earth" (5:10)
  5. "Jumping My Shadow" (5:26)
  6. "Bombjour!" (4:02)
  7. "History Lessons (The Final Examination)" (4:20)
  8. "A Badtime Story" (5:35)
  9. "Come on Eileen" (3:54)
  10. "Master Race" (4:06)
  11. "Bombed Out"--instrumental (4:05)
  12. "Penny Dreadful (Full Shilling Mix)" (3:09)

Haven't had a chance to listen to this one all the way through yet; I can say that the sharply enunciated vocals of "If I Die Laughing..." are quite reminiscent of Sabbat. A little more folky than Irrational, too. And yes, "Come on Eileen" is a cover of the Dexy's Midnight Runners song! What a trip.

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