Trouble – The Skull [Traditional Doom Metal]

 

Trouble's second album «The Skull» is a crucial and hard-hitting, highly technical album. Created in the time when the proto-doom metal sound of the 70's began being reworked by the bands of the heavy metal wave of the early 80's. The result was the incorporation of the NWOBHM style guitar in the classic Sabbath/Pentagram sounding song structure. One of the blueprints of the original Doom Metal sound is the cult and extremely underrated Illinois based «Trouble». The band was formed in 1979 and set out to play gloomy but energetic music.

After the 1984 impressive debut «Psalm 9» the band decided to record a follow up «The Skull». It was recorded with Eric Wagner on vocals, Bruce Franklin, Rick Wartell on guitars, Sean McAllister responsible for the bass and Jeff Olson on the drums. This is what most considered «the golden» Trouble lineup. And for a good reason. The riffing and rhythm section on the album are just superb and can be easily compared to the more skilled trash and heavy bands of the decade while sounding distinctly as a doom metal records. The lyrics, are Christian themed, present high quality of songwriting. They are not preachy but rather tell stories of existential and spiritual nature as well as referencing the judo-christian myth as a canvas for storytelling. In the most dramatic points they have a bit of Søren Kierkegaard vibe.

The album opens with the gloomy and atmospheric «Pray for the Dead» which touches upon the subject of death and losing a person close to you. The song structure is not common for the heavy scene of the time; it has a slight progressive structure to it. And the riff carries the point across. “Fear no Evil” — is more of a sabbath-like heavy metal number. A catchy hook is in place and it creates a break between the melancholy of the album. “The Wish” opens with an acoustic interlude before the heavy and slow part starts, the drums really underline the impact of the song. And then the crystal-clear acoustic interlude in the middle changes things up, lyrics talk about suicide, and the song also leads a superb solo after which the more crushing impulse of the song returns. “The Truth is what it is” – continues the album as a second more NWOBH oriented number; it works in the context of the album and also displays the band's more blues-based roots. “Wickedness of Men” opens with a melody that later will become a staple of the doom-death bands like Dusk and Tiamat who will appear 5 years later – it’s a deep sad harmony in the beginning of the song, that shows what Trouble is all about, while the drums on the track are absolutely classic. The bass work is also solid on the song. “Gideon” speeds things up again while delivering some more biblical references in the lyrics. And then comes the title composition The Skull: because of this song alone the band may be named among the greatest of the greatest of the 80's metal. The clean cold guitars give way to the pure darkness of the riff which sets the mood for the scene of the crucifixion which is portrayed. The vocals are sincere. You feel the pain in Wagner's voice. It is also very theatrical in a good way. The faster fragments of the song remind of an extremely heavy version of Lloyd Webber’s work and are likely influenced by it. The pure sorrow and bleakness of the slower part perfectly co-exists with the hymn-like faster part. 

Overall the album works as greatly as a complete conceptual record. Don't let the Christian lyrics be a drawback (as it may be for some listeners). I suggest viewing it more in the lines of a setting for storytelling and the existential feelings, like any text based on myth. The first two Trouble albums were greatly influential. Candlemass, My Dying Bride, Crowbar, Confessor and even Darkthrone have all stated in there interviews that these albums are very important for them. The band changed sound more towards stoner rock with the later albums and then split into two bands one named “Trouble” and the other called “The Skull”- both of them deserve the listener’s attention. Most importantly this album documents the moment, when proto-doom finally turned into doom-metal. It has aged well and is very accessible. A must listen for anyone into doom and heavy metal of the 80s.

by Anton "Vargtimmen" Bryukov