Skyclad are one of those enigmatic and contradictory bands who make little sense to those outside of their core fanbase. Looking at their career will reveal idiosyncrasies, brilliance, and plenty of ‘what the fuck?!’ moments. They were experimental, progressive and ground-breaking, but their discography is long, confusing and deliberately inconsistent. Their best moments are as enlightening as anything else in metal, their worst moments are embarrassing. Their career is difficult to fathom without an experienced guide. Many people, metalheads and otherwise, ignore them completely or think of them as a folk metal novelty act. These people are missing out.
To some extent, understanding Skyclad requires an understanding of the two predecessor bands; thrash legends Sabbat and NWOBHM legends Satan (or Blind Fury, Pariah, or whatever you want to call them). Sabbat were the finest UK thrash band of all, the proving ground for vocalist/lyricist Martin Walkyier to show his mercurial talent. He brings the same intense, poetic diatribes into Skyclad. From Satan, guitarist Steve Ramsey brings years of experience, technical precision, flowing melodies and sharp song writing. The relationship between Walkyier and Ramsey was the creative nexus of Skyclad. There seemed to be a mutual understanding and respect between them, each letting the other take charge of their chosen domain (slightly different to the machismo that defined the Walkyier/Sneap axis in Sabbat).
Skyclad’s debut album “The Wayward Sons of Mother Earth” is a great place to begin exploring their discography. This is their leanest, heaviest and most thrashing record. A thrash band would have to do something special in (late) 1991 to stand out, given how irrelevant thrash had become. Luckily, this is a special record. There are hints of progressive metal here and there, bits of NWOBHM (and Maiden especially), some keyboards and a session violinist on some of the tracks (the band would hire a full-time violinist from their second album onward).
Walkyier is in fine form, picking up from where “Dreamweaver” left off. His voice is not quite as screechy as it was in Sabbat, it is deeper and more barked. His lyrics are more political and rooted in the evils of the modern world. He tackles topics like environmental damage (“Our Dying Island”), anthropocentrism (“Cradle Will Fall”) and the folly of materialism (“Skyclad”). Lyrically this is a brilliant album, vicious and scathing but poetic enough to avoid sounding preachy. You don’t need to listen to too much of Walkyier to realise that his genius is rooted in a restless, troubled and hyperactive mind.
As for the so-called ‘folk metal’ they invented, that only applies to one song here (“The Widdershins Jig”). This is Skyclad’s most historically important song, though this version is too sluggish to be an album highlight (a faster, definitive version appears on a rare BBC Radio session from 1992).
The production is interesting. It doesn’t sound anything like the Bay Area or German thrash bands, but it still sounds old school. The drums sound great. The bass is more prominent in the mix than you might expect for a thrash record. The guitars sound as heavy and melodic. I like the rough and ready mix, it gets crowded at times (particularly when the occasional keyboards and violins join in), but this adds to the intensity.
rafazardly 