SKID ROW's SCOTTI HILL Praises Vocalist ERIK GRÖNWALL: 'He's An Incredible Talent. His Singing Is Amazing.'

SKID ROW guitarist spoke to France's Loud TV about the addition of Erik Grönwall to the group's lineup. The Swedish vocalist joined SKID ROW in January as the replacement for ZP Theart, who had been in the group for more than six years. Theart played his final gig with SKID ROW in February before being officially given the boot.

On the topic of Erik's singing ability, Scotti said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Erik can sing anything, I think. I'm pretty sure he can… Well, I know he can sing anything that SKID ROW has ever done. And I've yet to see something he can't sing. He's an incredible talent. His singing is amazing. And he's equally as great a performer."

Regarding what it's like to share the stage with Erik, Scotti said: "It's like he's doing [the] Power Core [workout] up there. He's all over the place. He's incredible. It's so interesting, because you watch him backstage, and he's just Erik. He's a cool guy. He's funny. He's got a positive attitude. And then he walks out onstage and you're, like, 'Who the fuck is this guy? Who is that person? I don't know that person. He's possessed.' I try and stay out of his way. When I see him coming, I just [step back].

"From the beginning, from the first shows in Vegas, it was great being on stage with him," he continued. "Now we've been doing it long enough where we know each well enough on stage and how to interact with each other. It's a little awkward in the beginning when somebody new comes in. You have to get a feel for what they do on stage. And now we've got it down and we've been out doing lots of shows and I think we're pumping it 98 percent at this point."

Hill also reflected on the lineup changes that SKID ROW went through in the years prior to Erik's addition to the band. He said: "Between the EPs that we did and then some… We lost [former SKID ROW singer] Johnny Solinger. Well, actually, we parted ways with Johnny Solinger and then, unfortunately, years later, he passed away. And that period from then to when we got Erik was a little bumpy. As people know, we've gone through a few singers. And I think it's a matter of finding that missing piece that we've needed the whole time to bring us to the next level. We always say that when [drummer] Rob [Hammersmith] joined the band, we became a better band. We needed that last piece to make us an even better band. So the puzzle is complete. We are ready to go back in the studio and start working again."

Grönwall went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of "18 And Life" to being asked to front SKID ROW earlier this year.

Erik, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. for nearly a decade before exiting the group in October 2020. In September 2021, he announced that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier.

Grönwall sang on H.E.A.T.'s last four studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020).

In September 2021, Grönwall released his new cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

In late March, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived on October 14 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.