Stephen
Skip Rock, in short word, is a lethal combination of Hollywood sleaze a la Motley Crue or L.A.Guns with Australian legend AC/DC and British metalgod, Motorhead. Germany always has a lot of great and potential rock bands from many genres and this one is no exception. Fronted by Mark Terry whose voice is very close to Dio and Brian Johnson, this band unleashed a no-frill dirty raunchy, ten tracks of blazing songs, and one wonderful easy listening ballad, “It’s You My Friend”.
"Motorcycle Man" has that 'Kickstart My Heart' roaring guitar start, the riffs are mindblowing, Darius Dee's solo is monstrous, but unfortunately the song isn't as great as I expected. "We Rock" and "Hit And Run", on the other hand, are simply stunning. "Lies" rolls in midtempo, sleazy riffs, and commercial-flavored chorus, great stuff there. "Little Nazty" and "Nutbrush City Limits" are decent, acceptable track, but will be a lie if you don't think "Rough And Ready" and "Time Will Tell" are huge.
Behind a lot of great tracks, Skip Rock still struggles with originality and consistency to build up a solid foundation of songwriting in several songs. The tight musicianship, especially the intense riffs and solos, and the excellent production are the highlights of 'Hit And Run'. While I still expect more improvement in the future, this album hits the heart and completely enjoyable.