Luis Medeiros Jr, known for his punk/hardcore work with Living Fire and now Oi with Lambs & Lions, adds to his collection of musical genres with Soul Call, a ska project with a Christian message.
For those not familiar with the Thumper Punk Records catalog, the name Luis Medeiros, might not be too familiar, but within that label, he’s been very busy in the punk/hardcore/Oi and now ska genres. Soul Call is the new, now ska band Medeiros has going and they initially began as a more straight ahead “praise punk poetry” project covering well-known songs like “Awesome God” (Rich Mullins) and others in an ep with videos posted to YouTube in November 2023. Skankin’ to Salvation is as one would guess a punk/ska project that seems to have more than just one album as Medeiros has posted the following release dates: October 5: Soul Call – Reggae Edition (confirmed), December 14: Soul Call – Hymns (final production phase), and Winter 2025: Soul Call – no album name yet (pre production).
Over the years, I’ve had mixed reactions to Luis Medeiros various projects and mostly have just been exposed to his punk/hardcore efforts with Living Fire and some of those releases I liked, some I didn’t, but I will say the last one I reviewed, The Flame Still Burns (2019), is a great album and worth checking out. Growing up with the likes of Five Iron Frenzy, OC Supertones, Insyderz and Mighty Mighty Bosstones, I was not sure how I was going to like a ska release as it’s been years since I listened to the genre. Much like I expected, “Skallelujah to the King” opens up just like it was the early 90’s Christian ska era. Happy horns, bouncy rhythm, lyrics some may call moderately cheesy, ultra-clean production, and a sing-along chorus. It was like taking a step back in time to be honest. The album continues on in the same vein from there without any missteps but also without any real standout moments.
Personally, I’d like the guitars to be a bit more dominant in the mix as they with the drums and bass tend to get lost behind the horns and vocals. There are definitely a lot of catchy rhythms and melodies in the songs but there also seems to be a bit of repetition, which is something that I’ve always felt within ska in general, so no surprise there.
To me this is a nostalgia piece that brings up memories of the bands mentioned earlier and if this was released at that time, it would fit in perfectly. I may be the wrong audience for this album as it does sound like I’ve heard this all before, but to those who didn’t grow up with the ska bands of old, this may be something really fresh sounding. At the same time, I can certainly applaud the effort as performances are strong and this is a collection of songs that are uplifting and just plain fun to listen to. For what it’s worth, this album drove me back to revisiting the OC Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy releases, which to me shows how well it fits in with the legends…
Rating: 7/10
Written by John Jackson
Track Listing
- Skallelujah to the King
- Sound of Gratitude
- Racing to the Cross
- Unity
- Make Your Way
- In Your Presence
- Where Your Treasure Lies
- Unveiled Mission
- Worshipper’s Heart
Release Date: July 5, 2024
Record Label: Thumper Punk Records, 2024
Band Members
Luis Medeiros Jr,
Web Links
Bandcamp: https://thumperpunkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/skankin-to-salvation
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLObieGQ8XdXJSVGKRp000xzB5h_JcFnaY
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/livingfireband