SKID ROW Bassist Says The 'Subhuman Race' Album 'Absolutely Sucks'

Jeffrey Easton of The Metal Exiles recently conducted an interview with SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

The Metal Exiles: Do you think it is SKID ROW's time again?

Rachel: You know what, Why not. We are really proud of this record and We are going on a national tour with NASHVILLE PUSSY and KING'S X. It feels right and everything is falling into place along with getting some of the best reviews since "Slave To The Grind" and in some places we are getting better reviews. It is also doing well at rock radio so is it our time again? It should be.

The Metal Exiles: Do you think the fans are over the fact that you have a different singer?

Rachel: I think so and at the time he has been in the band longer than Sebastian [Bach] was, he is going on his seventh year with us. There will be haters out there that cannot deal with change so be it. It is so funny, he has been in the band for seven years and people still consider him the new singer.

The Metal Exiles: You are with SPV now, how did you land that deal?

Rachel: They came to us about doing "ThickSkin" and then they released the record in Europe and they did a great job with it and they understand the band. They know rock and they know what's to be done. We did "ThickSkin" ourselves in America and it was a lot of work but it was worth it in the long run although it did affect the creativity.

The Metal Exiles: As far as "ThickSkin" goes, it was such a different record. Why did you write that record for that time?

Rachel: It is just what came out at the time. We just wanted good quality songs and if [Michael] Wagener produced it it probably would have been a much different record. We did what we set out to do, which was do a new SKID ROW record with Johnny's [Solinger] vocals on it and let everybody know that we are still alive.

The Metal Exiles: What do you think of the scene of bands that are still out there with just one or two original members?

Rachel: It is what it is. You have to go with your strengths and if you are an original member of the band and you own the name, go for it. I myself like to make new music, I know when we go out there is a certain amount of nostalgia but I cannot go out just for the sake of going out and playing the same songs over and over. I just need to make music so I can play new things out on the road. We are one of the few bands that still have a record deal and we are proud of that.

The Metal Exiles: You keep bringing up the first few records, what do you think of "Subhuman Race" now?

Rachel: What record, I have no Idea what you are talking about. (laughter) That record was a nightmare. Internally the band had fallen apart but we were forced to go in and do another record and it was a nightmare with the recording, writing and producing. We worked with someone we had not worked with before after being so successful with Michael and we were used to the way he did things. I am not slighting Bob [Rock] at all, he is a genius producer but it was bad timing. I did not have the greatest time, it was nobody's fault, it was just the way things were. Also the record absolutely sucks.

Read the entire interview at www.metal-exiles.com.