- Mon, 2011-08-01 12:20
Self-styled ragga metal band Skindred have been plugging away at their somewhat unusual craft for over a decade now, incorporating elements of Jamaican-born and Jamaican-influenced music – reggae, ska, drum and bass, dubstep – into a framework of punk-rock and heavy metal. The recent release of their fourth album, Union Black, was met with a chorus of praise, consensus agreeing that their musical vision had finally been realised with complete success.
Cut Dem is a prime example of their flawless blend of disparate styles. Verses of reggae vocals and deep dub bass, a rousing rock chorus and a middle eight of skittering drum breaks follow seamlessly one from the other as frontman Benji Webbe moves effortlessly between Rastafari and rocker. The accompanying video is a similarly syncretistic affair, a Mary Shelley-come-Voodoo silent film with re-animated corpses, malevolent spirits and mystical symbols galore.
