Review Summary: Still the best reggae-metal album ever
One interesting thing about nu metal is the variety of styles it mixes together, the very different bands gathered together under the nu metal label. To some artists, nu metal is just a different manner of making metal, mixed with whatever else they can think of. Today’s band Skindred mixes reggae and dancehall with metal, and it’s just awesome. Their music is fun, punchy and catchy, creative, accessible and completely unique. And their debut album Babylon is my favorite of theirs. Let’s see what makes it so great.
After an intro with Benji Webbe screaming random stuff over an electronic beat, we get into the first song, “Nobody”, and what an opener. The riffs are played at full speed, Benji sings, screams and sing-talks just as fast, there’s some real aggression but also a catchy melody that sticks in your brain. With a song like that, you know this album is going to be something special. Indeed it is.
Some songs have the same mix of catchiness and aggression, like “Pressure”, which has a similar topic of “our music is awesome” as “Nobody”. It’s not as wild as “Nobody”, but it still manages to get stuck in your head. “Tears” is a more laidback reggae rock track, but kind of catchy. “Fear” is the softest, most melancholic track, nodding to the reggae rock scene with a sample from The Clash’s “London Calling”.
“Selector” is another song that best sums up the band’s concept: it’s basically a dancehall song, with the same type of speak-singing vocal melody and lyrics about dancing to the music, but under a crazy fast riff and heavier chorus. “We Want” is the band’s statement of purpose song, about wanting to unite people of all backgrounds with their music. Its mellow but catchy verses and screams on the chorus shouldn’t go together, but they do. It’s another Skindred song that won’t leave your head, because they are the masters of the earworm.
Skindred has 2 types of songs, the angry but upbeat ones and the angrier, heavier ones. “Bruises” is probably the angriest and heaviest, with its threatening riff, mostly screamed vocals and lyrics about fighting any racist that comes your way. “Beginning of Sorrows” is pretty interesting, with its almost religious, mystical lyrics over doom metal riffs, but still with a hint of reggae melodies. “Start First” isn’t as catchy, but Benji’s mix of gravelly singing and higher-pitched, softer singing is really cool. Again, I have to express my love for singers who can do all kinds of vocal styles, and this album is a great example of that.
“Firing the Love” is a fast, angry track with frantic screaming. My favorite angry songs on this album are the really fast and frantic ones, like that one, but also the absolutely wild “World Domination”, with its blisteringly angry riff and vocals. The title track is, well, everything great about Skindred: speak-singing, screaming, singing, socially conscious lyrics, wild and aggressive riffs, and powerful earworms. For more wildness and craziness, there are the bonus tracks, “Brain Killer” and “Vampire Killer”. Those songs are basically Benji screaming at full speed and the band racing behind him, and it still manages to be the catchiest thing you’ve ever heard.
To me, Skindred are at their best when they’re fast and wild, yet still incredibly catchy and fun. This album is full of songs with those qualities. There’s never a dull moment on it, I’ve loved every minute of “Babylon”. It’s probably their best written album, and they're most consistent in quality. Their other albums have some great songs but this one’s the best. This is Skindred in a nutshell: angry, super-catchy, and completely unique. It’s one of the most fun and most creative nu metal albums I’ll ever review in this series.
