Author: Sandi Sadar Šoba
Artist: Skanners
Label: SAOL
Release: 2011
Length: 41:50
Rating: 4/5
I’m not exactly a sworn fan and disciple of true heavy or, if you like, power metal, but I’ll admit that the latest release from Italian veterans of heavy metal orgasms Skanners went down easy, both in the ears and in the mental digestion. The name Skanners has been filling gaps in the encyclopedia of Italian metal bands since 1982, but the Maiden-meets-Helloween mindset, with dashes of Judas Priest, Saxon or Primal Fear, proved a winning combination way back in 1988. That’s when the young guns from Bolzano forged their second torpedo of melody, called Pictures Of War. Long and rather dry years of moderate, on-and-off output followed, and the final sign of a complete revival of the band’s inner strength was last year’s swap of bassist Dino Lucchi for Renato Olivari, along with the continued work on their sixth studio effort – the record Factory Of Steel.
The latter carries on the quality, focused flow of sound from the rather overlooked The Serial Healer from 2008, which, unlike the raw edge of their first records, showed a more progressive side of the band. Factory Of Steel is a more rustic beast, though in its sonic dress it adapts to the demanding standards of the new millennium. The roots of the music are thus woven deep into the legacy of the eighties, while seemingly simple melodies and explosive riffs, along with the expected group vocal oratorios, tick off every cliché on the checklist. Singer Claudio Pisoni’s range is pushed into the higher registers, and the pretty clean, clear vocals hide no distortion. Surprisingly, you can say outright that Pisoni can handle English lyrics, which sound no worse (or better) than they would from any Teutonic power metal outfit. The central axis of the action is stretched between the sharp, wound-up guitar tones of Tenca and Unterhauser, who string musical arguments and juicy riffs one onto the other. The phenomenal, testosterone-packed production fills your ears from the very first bars of the opener Never Give Up, and the solid structure of mighty arena rock carries on into Iron Man and the title track Factory Of Steel, while the tonally worn but by no means boring Hard And Pure sounds quite a bit sweeter. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and the rest of the record follows this recipe of comfortable enjoyment, like a worn-out pair of jeans you wouldn’t swap for the finest silk.
Organic and, despite its age, still relevant, the listening experience leaves a good taste of juicy quality in your mouth. Skanners are admittedly representatives of the old school in a new world, but the expiration date is nowhere near. Factory Of Steel is a record that fans of Priest and Saxon, as well as the aforementioned Primal Fear, will reach for gladly and with a perfectly clear conscience, and with their Skanners, Italy has filled in the missing pieces of the recent-past spectrum, both geographically and sonically. Some things are simply timeless, and the fact is that good old heavy is still a long way from fading, withering or disappearing!
This review was made in collaboration between Rock Hard Slovenija and RockLine.
Lineup
Claudio Pisoni – vocals
Fabio Tenca – guitar
Walther Unterhauser – guitar
Renato Olivari – bass
Kranauer Christian – drums
Guest musicians:
– Marco Facchin – piano, keyboards
– Philipp Burger – backing vocals on Hard And Pure
Production
Walter Unterhauser, Claudio Pisoni & Fabio Tenca
Tracklist
01. Never Give Up
02. Iron Man
03. Factory Of Steel
04. Hard And Pure
05. Thunder In My Hand
06. Story Of Sound
07. We Rock The Nation
08. The Lords Of The Lies
09. When I Look In Your Eyes
