Skin Drone, founded in 2013, aren't interested in mainstream sounds, MTV appearances or groupies. At least, that's what I can make up from their biography. All they care about is extreme metal and being one of the most surprising acts on earth. In that, they certainly succeed. After hearing three songs, I'm already calling them "the extreme version of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum", and that is a compliment.
Other bands that come to mind include Fantomas, Gorguts, Ministry, Fear Factory, Necrophagist and Cephalic Carnage. Brutal death metal alternates with pounding, repetitive pieces of industrial audio terror, horrifying ambient and noise passages, obscure samples and almost gothic horror music. At times the listener will be torn between fiercely banging his head and crawling under a rock in absolute terror.
This just might be what would have happened if Tim Burton were an extreme metal fan instead of a movie director. Skin Drone created unique worlds for their music to demolish. The level of variation is so immense, it really feels like a free-jazz album on steroids. Besides, these guys are damn good musicians too, convincingly performing progressive passages, calm folk melodies and extreme outbursts. They can handle it all.
My advice? Well, if you're an extreme metalhead who isn't afraid of the weird and unexpected, this certainly is something for you. If you're a grindcore freak who equally loves Nile and Atari Teenage Riot, you should check this out. Oh well, if you breathe and have ears, you should check this out. This is probably one of the wickedest, most bizarre and extreme albums you'll hear this year, certainly one of the most varied ones...
​Serge