RGG December 2016 - p.32
The Skull are undertaking an extensive tour of Europe and tonight it was the turn of
Birmingham towelcome them. Think Black Sabbath heaviness swirledwith psychedelics and
you will perhaps have an idea of the sort riff-laden sonic assault that The Skull produces.
For those unaware, The Skull is fronted by Eric Wagner who was the voice of legendary
doomsters Trouble for more than two decades.
Not content to just relive the past glories of
Eric’s career, The Skull played a sizeable chunk
of music from their début ‘For Those That Which
Are Asleep’ and it was warming to see how well
this material was received. The highlights of
which were “Till The Sun Turns Black” and
“Send The Judas Down” (extended with a nod
to Iron Butterfly’s “In A Gadda Da Vida”).
Being heavy is only part of the story for any
band, because without great songs the notional
heaviness is for nought. Fortunately Eric
Wagner has lost none of his lyrical prowess in
writing memorable tunes, set opener “Trapped
Inside My Mind” being just one example. The
years have been kind to Eric’s voice which has
gained a richness that could be likened to fine
wine; full bodied with a flavour lingers on the
palate.
The Skull currently features Ron Holzner (ex-
Trouble) on bass, Lothar Keller (Sacred Dawn)
on guitar & backing vocals and also on guitar
Rob Wrong (Witch Mountain) with Cathedral’s
drummer Brian Dixon completing the line-up for
the European leg of the tour.
Earlier in the evening, no less than three bands
sought to entertain the crowd; from the
NWOBM tinged Wounded Cross, to the sludge
fuelled stoner vibes of Women, and the slick
solid rock of Kings Destroy; all of whom
undoubtedly gained new new fans from
tonight’s performances.
The fact The Skull even played Birmingham
was a welcome surprise, as most US bands
tend to just hit London before moving onto
continental Europe and this fact wasn’t lost on
the fans, who bellowed their appreciation with
abandon.
If the the mark of a great show is the number
of people buzzing with excitement long into the
night then The Skull at The Flapper was a
resounding success.
Zak
r
gg
21
YEARS
1995-2016
