The Skull — the new band featuring two original members of American doom metal legends Trouble, Eric Wagner (vocals) and Jeff “Oly” Olson (drums), alongside longtime Trouble bassist Ron Holzner, guitarist Lothar Keller (Sacred Dawn) and former Pentaram guitarist Matt Goldsborough — will release its debut album, “For Those Which Are Asleep”, on November 4 via Tee Pee Records.
Written and recorded this past spring, “For Those Which Are Asleep” is the first full-length album to feature Wagner, Holzner and Olson since the 1995 release of Trouble‘s critically acclaimed LP “Plastic Green Head”. The new record’s greatest strength is how well it captures the apocalyptic trudge that Trouble delivered from the first downbeat of their 1984 debut, but now unequivocally propelled by the hallmarks of a hungry new band fueled by new blood. The mighty voice of Wagner is on full display; the vocalist proving on “For Those Which Are Asleep” that he still wields an eerie power at the mic. Titanic riffs abound as Keller and Goldsborough weave ominous atmospheres over the molten, crushing core of Holzner and Olson‘s sinister strut.
This month, The Skull will pay tribute to Trouble‘s landmark debut ‘Psalm 9’ (which Wagner and Olson co-wrote and performed on) in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the record’s release. The Skull will perform the influential album in its entirety at both the Wings Of Metal festival (August 29 in Montreal) and the Vultures Of Volume festival (August 30 in New Castle, Delaware) as headliners of each gathering. The band has also been confirmed to perform the full album at Barcelona’s Day Of Doom festival on October 10. Additional shows are expected to be announced as well.
Tracklist:
01. Trapped Inside My Mind
02. The Touch Of Reality
03. Sick Of It All
04. The Door
05. Send Judas Down
06. A New Generation
07. Till The Sun Turns Black
08. For Those Which Are Asleep
09. Sometime Yesterday Mourning
10. The Last Judgment
[soundcloud]https://soundcloud.com/tee-pee-records/sets/the-skull[/soundcloud]
Related Articles:
‘The Skull’ Members Hoping For ‘Huge Reunion’ With Former ‘Trouble’ Bandmates [April 2012]
‘The Skull’ To Tour Europe [Feat. Ex-Trouble Members] [Oct. 2012]
Original ‘Trouble’ Drummer ‘Jeff “Oly” Olson’ To Play Keyboards On Band’s Next Album [Feb. 2013]
Original ‘Trouble’ Drummer ‘Jeff Olson’ Rejoins ‘The Skull’ [August 2013]
Trouble – “The Distortion Field” [Album Review]
‘The Skull’ to Release Limited Edition White Vinyl Replica CD on April 8, Pre-Order Your Copy Now [March 2014]
Former ‘Pentagram’ guitarist ‘Matt Goldsborough’ joins ‘The Skull’ [April 2014]
New Video Interview with ‘The Skull’s’ ‘Eric Wagner’ Posted Online [May 2014]