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SKULL FIST
Paid In Full

Atomic Fire (2022)
Rating: 5.5/10

Resurrecting the spirit of classic 80s bands such as Dokken and Scorpions, Canadian headbangers Skull Fist returns with their fourth full-length studio album. The outing comes four years after 2018’s Way Of The Road, which to my ears was a tad disappointing.

Paid In Full is standard melodic metal that’s easy on the ear. The record sets its stall up nicely with the opening title track which is bright and breezy, complete with effortless soaring chorus, nifty guitar work and simple yet sturdy percussion.

Straight from the bowels of 1986-87, this is generic yet catchy metal bolstered by Zach Slaughter’s simple guitar fizzes and his equally solid vocal cries. JJ Tartaglia’s drums do their job, more so on the heavier rampages and particularly with the more fiery numbers such as ‘Long Live The Fist’ which exudes that Exciter air of speeding melody. But for an album that’s probably taken a few years to concoct it’s all rather generic 80s worship, flight of foot but lacking overall oomph.

‘Crush, Kill, Destroy’ isn’t as convincing as its title suggest it might be, but ‘Madman’ sports a decent lick after building on Casey Guest’s steady bass and those percussive nods. Again, it’s standard metal that’s not going to shake your foundations.

Skull Fist seems to sit more comfortably with the speedier outbursts such as ‘For The Last Time’ with its foaming gallop, while ‘Warrior Of The North’ rattles like a tin can in gale force winds.

The album does lack heaviness, the production sounds thin, but there is an airy feel to proceedings too. However, one gets the impression that the band assembled the only handful of tracks they had, quickly recorded them and fooled themselves into thinking it would make a quality album. Yet for every blazing solo, every slamming drum beat and bass line and every wail from Zach Slaughter’s lungs, Paid In Full is just average metal with flashes of goodness.

Matched by the clichéd artwork, this opus flashes by and makes no real impact other than just being another modern day trad’ metal re-enactment. It’s difficult to write more on such generic metal – there’s a ton of this sort of thing doing the rounds today – but if you like up-tempo, hackneyed rockin’, then jump in.

Neil Arnold

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