Search - Skew Siskin :: Skew Siskin

3.5 stars, solid early 90's hard rock

Justin Gaines | Northern Virginia | 02/23/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Skew Siskin was another one of the "too tough for pop" rocker chick bands that seemed to be everywhere in the first couple years of the `90s. Unlike similar artists Saraya, Chrissy Steele, Cell Mates, Robin Beck, Harlow, and Vixen, Skew Siskin rocked pretty darned hard. I wouldn't exactly call them a metal band, but they didn't flirt with the AOR sound they way those others did.



Skew Siskin's sound was driven by two elements - hard charging guitarist Jim Voxx and powerhouse vocalist Nina Alice. Voxx wasn't just serving up the same old hooks and solos. He had a Hendrix-inspired experimental style that really stands out, especially on the 12+ minute song "In Another World". This is more a guitar rock album than a showcase for just another pretty face. Of course it helps when the voice behind said face is as ballsy as Nina Alice's. She's a rocker, pure and simple. When she's belting out a cover of the Kinks' "All Day and All of the Night" in that bluesy and slightly raspy voice it's easy to picture her with a stiletto heel on some guy's back, bottle in one hand, microphone in the other.



1992 was not the best year to be starting out in the hard rock/hair metal band field, so despite some early European success it's not terribly surprising that Skew Siskin's career didn't take off. Unlike a lot of their peers, the band continued to release albums throughout the 90's and is still more or less active.



You can still get this disc for a buck or two, so if you're into the hard rock and hair metal scene from the late 80's and early 90's, you'll probably enjoy Skew Siskin's self-titled debut album.

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