Skindred blend reggae and dancehall with searing thrash and punk influences for a striking hybrid of heavy metal. The group emerged from Wales in 1998, after the dissolution of vocalist
Benji Webbe's previous band,
Dub War. Rehearsals for a new project featuring other
Dub War veterans didn't work out, but soon
Webbe had hooked up with bassist Daniel Pugsley, guitarist Mikey Dee, and drummer Dirty Arya, and
Skindred were officially born. The debut LP,
Babylon, first appeared in 2002 and 2003, with sporadic success in parts of Europe and the U.S. metal underground. But it wasn't until a year or so later and Lava Records' involvement that the album really took off.
Skindred re-released
Babylon in August 2004. Lava's version featured different cover art, and included newly recorded material in addition to the original
Howard Benson-helmed songs. The band released
Roots Rock Riot in 2007, followed by
Shark Bites & Dog Fights in 2009. Two years later, they released their fourth album,
Union Black, which did not have a U.S. release. After releasing
Kill the Power (which included the Rasta-rocking shredder "Ninja"), they left
BMG and signed with Napalm Records for the release of their sixth album,
Volume, in 2015. The effort peaked in the Top 20 of the U.S. Heatseekers chart, while landing in the Top 30 of the U.K. charts. The band returned in 2017 with "Machine," featuring
Motörhead guitarist
Phil Campbell and
Reef vocalist
Gary Stringer. The single was the first taste of album seven,
Big Tings, which arrived in spring 2018. ~ Johnny Loftus