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SKULL
The Great Descent Into Hell

Self-released (2023)
Rating: 7.5/10

If you think of prolific acts within any genre it’s very likely that the name Skull will not feature, and yet this one-man creation has been spouting out full-length albums like no tomorrow. In 2018 New Zealander Jeremy Giles released five albums under the moniker Skull – that’s like a record every couple of months! And then in 2019 he must’ve been busy elsewhere because only three more albums were issued. Since then another seven have been released, including this latest one.

I don’t know if this guy is some sort of obsessive but damn, prolific just isn’t the word, and it is half-decent stuff too. I guess you could call this melodic death metal with thrashy insertions; Jeremy’s vocals have an almost primitive tone, and he’s no stranger to a blazing solo either which frequently fan the flames of what is raucous death metal.

There is always an element of the unorthodox about Giles’ work. For instance, he pulls off a symphonic solo on the title track that isn’t exactly a world away from Yngwie J. Malmsteen – although obviously not on the same level. Even so, it makes for a very interesting listen, particularly on tracks such as ‘The Creeper Beyond The Deadfall’ with its Bay Area chugging and the hammering ‘Deathless’. Meanwhile, ‘Drag Me To Hell’ again has that surprising symphonic glide amidst the furnace.

Jeremy’s style is creative and compelling and you never know what he’s going to pull out the bag next, and when one considers how much stuff he’s put out in the space of a handful of years one can only be impressed by his dedication and maddening musicianship. I’ve only heard a few of his older records so it’s time to go back through the entire discography… I’ll be back in a few years!.

Neil Arnold

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