If You Just Let Me In, I Wouldn't Let You Break Down.

It would be 4 years before Skid Row would release their third full length release "Subhuman Race". This would also be Sebastian Bach's last outing with the band. Here they move forward again and lose a lot of the thrash influence and gain more of a nu-metally sound for lack of a better reference. All the while keeping the Skid Row feel, but never sounding dated.

"Subhuman Race" starts with the hooky and crunchy "My Enemy" that is heavy and melodic. It sets the new sound beautifully and melodically. After such a long delay the first track was a surprisingly sweet sigh of relief. "Firesign" continues with the heavy melodic sound, but with a darker edge. "Frozen" and "Into Another" are also in the same vein with melody and darker undertones.

"Bonehead" and the title track "Subhuman Race" enhance the fast, punky sound originated on "Slave To The Grind" with the title track being their fastest song. "Beat Yourself Blind" adds groove to the aggressive chunky sound and features deep sickly vocals and off-timing. A little different, but one of the best songs on the album. And speaking of the vocals. Bach has certainly lost some of his range and so the songs have a deeper growl to them. They never sound strained and work with the new sound. Bach has not lost any of his passion, he may have gotten more over the years.

"Remains To Be Seen", "Face Against My Soul", "Medicine Jar" and "Iron Will" are all heavy aggressive tunes with less melody and to me are the tracks that are of little memory. Not bad tunes, but I tend to forget about them after I hear them.

The 2 songs that stand out for me are "Eileen" with its dark, disturbing sound and haunting melody. Add to that the killer thrashy riff at the end and this makes for one great tune. However, the song I'd pick as my fave is the only ballad on this album, "Breakin' Down". This is an extremely passionate and very heartfelt. Bach shines vocally and music is brilliant. The song seems more of a reflection on the state of the band at that time then some cheesy love song and I think that's great.

I really enjoy "Subhuman Race" though "Slave To The Grind" will always be my favourite of the albums. I am curious of just where the band would have gone had Sebastian Bach remained, but alas I'll never know. However, I can tell you where the band went without Bach ... oh and drummer Rob Affuso.

That's coming up next ...