Search - Sixty Miles Down :: A New Skin

Review by Ben Faresich from northeastintune.com 2/2006 This March, New Jersey based band, Sixty Miles Down will release their latest effort, an EP entitled, ?A New Skin?. The album?s moniker is the same as the title track, but it?s also quite an apt name, for a few reasons. It?s been almost four years since Sixty Miles Down released their debut album, ?Sink or Swim.? A lot has happened in that span of time, not the least of which is an almost complete transformation of the line-up. In fact, the only original member that remains is singer/founder John Mosco. Replacing the other four members of the band are Dave Chisholm (guitar), Roger Manzo (guitar), Mauricio Kowalczuk (drums), and Eric Bergmann (bass). And a talented group they are. Upon listening to the new material, it becomes obvious that Mosco went to great lengths to make sure that he found the right pieces to complete this puzzle. Then there?s the music itself. While ?Sink or Swim? was a great debut that created a good amount of buzz for the band, ?A New Skin? seems to bring Sixty Miles Down to the next level, without losing any of the positive qualities that were previously established. Mosco still has one of the best and most unique voices that you?ll hear in today?s modern rock. He uses his talent wisely, with catchy melodies and hooks that can get stuck in your head for days. His lyrics are also a breath of fresh air from some of the fluff that seems to be plaguing many major radio stations. But the big question for fans of their debut release would have to be, how does the new band hold up? Not to worry, the chemistry between this group is flawless. It?s hard to imagine that these guys weren?t all playing together a few years ago, when the group was formed. On a technical level, one would be hard-pressed to find any weaknesses in their musicianship. What they bring with their new material is a bit more of a gritty, hard-edged sound that still maintains the technical prowess that fans of ?Sink or Swim? have become accustomed to. The result is tracks like ?Virus? and ?A New Skin,? that are heavy, but at the same time very catchy and inventive. These guys don?t sacrifice creativity in order to achieve the deep and powerful sound that they?ve developed. And I choose that word ?developed? intentionally, because this release marks a new plateau in Sixty Miles Down?s sound. They?ve always been difficult to compare to other bands, but it seems that with ?A New Skin? they?ve really come a long way in breaking away from the crowd and creating their own musical identity.