Skinflint - Chief of the Ghosts

cover It’s such a great honor, and pleasure, to write about Skinflint and their fifth album, “Chief of the Ghosts”, that is to be realeased on next December, 3rd. It’s been about an year that I met this band, and instantly got in love with them, because of their honest and heavy sonority, not to mention the riff oriented songs. This new album shows a solid, and well-based band that chose to go further on their musical personality. The songs are slow, riff oriented, and full of heaviness, that makes us think that Skinflint were born before the speed of light that some bands consider essential, proving us that feeling is sometimes more powerful than speed. Being a power trio, Skinflint build their songs using the guitar as a storyteller; the bass, clean and precise, helps creating the atmospheres needed to fill in the songs; and the drums give all the support a band needs.

“Borankana Metal” is an instrumental track that opens the album with a 1960’s mood. It’s heavy, the guitar is sharp, deep and full of distortion, and also is the bass, which this sole time, uses some distortion to let the guitar free to fly. The percussion is a mix of handclaps and the another percussion instrument that I couldn’t recognise which comes back at “Ndondoncha”. “Ram of Fire” is a pure Skinflint’s piece of metal. And the drumming is still improving. Alessandra’s skill and technique are getting even better. Check “Anyoto Aniota” where she destroys her drumming kit with a mix of anger and skill. In this album Skinflint preferred more atmospherical songs than the usual. “Rainbow Snakes”, in the beginning, sometimes reminds us some Led Zep piece, but soon it changes to a ferocious Maidenish guitar motif. The instrumental passages occour precisely and naturally in all tracks.

Skinflint’s warriors, Giuseppe, Kebonye, and Alessandra, shows us once and for all that good metal can be done everywhere!

Check the official music video for “Ram of Fire” below.

https://youtu.be/je7Fze3oeTM.

Track listing: