‘The Gang’s All Here’ is Skid Row’s first studio album since 2006, with a lot of water having passed under the bridge since then, let’s see what they’ve been up to.
Written by: gdmonline
ARTIST: Skid Row
ALBUM: The Gang’s All Here
LABEL: EarMusic, Edsel
SERIAL: 0216861EMU
YEAR: 2022
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: 
LINEUP: Erik Gronvall – vocals * Dave Sabo, Scotti Hill – guitars, backing vocals * Rachel Bolan – bass, backing vocals * Rob Hammersmith – drums
TRACK LISTING: 01 Hell Or High Water * 02 The Gang’s All Here * 03 Not Dead Yet * 04 Time Bomb * 05 Resurrected * 06 Nowhere Fast * 07 When The Lights Come On * 08 Tear It Down * 09 October’s Song * 10 World On Fire
RATING: 
WEBLINKS: Site Link
Background
‘The Gang’s All Here’ is Skid Row’s first studio album since 2006, with a lot of water having passed under the bridge since then, let’s see what they’ve been up to. Personnel wise, 4/5’s of the band have been intact for over a decade with the lead vocalist role being unstable. Three singers have occupied the front man’s role being: Johnny Solinger (1999-2015), Tony Harnell (2015) and ZP Theart (2016-2022). Now the job falls to Sweden’s Erik Gronvall, the ex H.E.A.T singer. And what an inspired choice that was.
Skid Row has signed to the German label EarMusic/Edsel, which means that the new album did not receive a domestic US release. These are the signs of the times, with the band doing much of its promo work in Europe, particularly Scandinavia, though they did play USA dates prior to the album release. In 2023 they will play further dates in the USA, the move onto Brazil, Australia and Spain. And so far, the album is getting good coverage out there on the Interwebs, so time for GDM to cast its judgement.
The Songs
The power of Erik Gronvall is immediately apparent on ‘Hell Or High Water’, a booming voice that brings these songs to life. The band must feel like they’ve morphed back to 1989 with a vengeance. The first anthem ‘The Gang’s All Here’ contains the power plus some addictive singalong choruses. ‘Not Dead Yet’ is the song that invokes Lazarus like status on the band, letting everyone know that these guys are back in the public eye and ready to slay the poor state of current music into oblivion.
‘Time Bomb’ eases up on the tempo, though the vocal power and guitar crunch are still apparent. ‘Resurrected’ is perhaps the heaviest track here, it has anthem like qualities as per the chorus we’re resurrected but the like rest of the album, there is no let-up. ‘Nowhere Fast’ is hardly a case of jumping up and down on the spot, fairly brutal and aggressive. ‘When The Lights Come On’ could be considered a party metal workout, which gets the metronome ticking.
‘Tear It Down’ is the power anthem of the album, a snarling monster of a track with a big back beat, shout out chants and razor sharp guitar work. ‘October’s Song’ is the longest track here at a touch over 7 minutes. It sweeps across with melodic majesty and fires up at chorus and solo time. A power ballad? Maybe. The riffs on ‘World On Fire’ are flying off the handle, a furious reminder of Skid Row from their prime 1989-1995 era.
In Summary
A highly energizedand entertaining comeback album from the Skids, something not lost on media and listener feedback many of whom describe the album as a natural extension of their three albums: ‘Skid Row’, ‘Slave To The Grind’ and ‘Subhuman Race’. The real star of the show is Erik Gronvall, who has the required chops to handle all of the Skid Row back catalogue, not just the new stuff. May their partnership bear more musical fruit into the future.
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We probably need to write up ‘Slave To The Grind’ to complete the history of the first three albums.
[Swazi] I saw them play live in Munich a few weeks ago and it was a very entertaining affair. I admit I’m an Erik fanboy, always have been, and he put up a great show. He will make SR rise to completely different spheres.