Skid Row

I was small but I remember the vocalist Sebastian singing in a video clip by Skid Row because he was very handsome and charismatic, the sort of person you remember (no pun intended).
Skid Row is a Glam Metal band formed in 1986 in Toms River, New Jersey. They became popular late 1980s and early 1990s.
They released five albums: an EP, a compilation, and a live album and they became popular with their first two albums, “Skid Row” and “Slave to the Grind”, where the band recorded in their classic lineup, consisting of Sebastian Bach (vocals), Dave “The Snake” Sabo (guitar), Scotti Hill ( guitar), Rachel Bolan (bass) and Rob Affuso (drums).
The band released “Subhuman Race” in 1995, and 1996, Sebastian Bach left the band. Even with the changed lineup, Skid Row made “Thickskin” and “Revolutions per Minute”.
The current lineup comprises Sabo, Hill, Bolan, ZP Theart (vocals) and Rob Hammersmith (drums); the band has been top 10 three times in the USA and has sold around 25 million records worldwide.

Skid Row was formed in 1986 in Toms River, by Dave Sabo (guitar) and Rachel Bolan (bass). Later, Scotti Hill on guitar Rob Affuso on drums, and then Sebastian Bach (vocals) replaced Matt Fallon. At first, the band played shows in several clubs in the eastern United States. The name was purchased for around 35 thousand dollars from an Irish rock band created in 1967, which recorded two albums in 1970 and 1971; one of its members was Gary Moore, who played with the group Thin Lizzy.

Skid Row

In the following year, 1987, the band began to gain prestige, and Jon Bon Jovi, another rRcker leader of the famous band Bon Jovi, also from New Jersey, a childhood friend of Dave “The Snake” Sabo, managed to get a contract with the record company. Atlantic Records for the band. The group’s debut album would come in 1989 with the same name as the band. This album brought two big hits of the year, “18 and Life” and the ballad “I Remember You”.

After two and a half years of inactivity, Slave to the Grind is released. The album shows the group’s talent, much more focused on Heavy Metal but still with a lot of Hard Rock influence, featuring compositions such as “Monkey Business”, “Quicksand Jesus”, “Slave to the Grind”, “In a Darkened Room” and the ballad “Wasted Time”. “Slave to the Grind” attracted much attention, as it was the first Metal album to debut at the top of the Billboard chart. That same year, the band opened concerts on Guns N’ Roses’ Use Your Illusion tour in the United States, Canada and Europe.

The following year (1992), the EP B-side Ourselves was released, with five covers, songs such as “Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix and “Psycho Therapy” by the Ramones. Rob Halford was featured on the song “Delivering The Goods”.
Reaping praise, fans and prestige, Skid Row was one of the most successful bands of the early 1990s.

Without their original singer, Skid Row was reformed by guitarists Scott and Snake and bassist Rachel Bolan, who joined vocalist Johnny Solinger and drummer Charlie Mills on a US tour with Kiss. Phil Varone soon replaced Charlie. With this lineup, they released a single called “Thick Is The Skin” and went on tour with Tesla, Vince Neil and Jackyl. He was undeniably influenced by the band Van Halen.

In early 2010, Dave Gara left Skid Row and was replaced by Rob Hammersmith, and in 2014, Johnny Solinger was replaced by Tony Harnell (TNT) on vocals. Subsequently, after Tony’s early departure, ZP Theart, former lead singer of the band DragonForce, was announced as the band’s new lead singer in January 2017, remaining in the band for six years. Guitarist Dave “Snake” Sabo explained – in a vague way – what led to the decision:

“It got to a point where the situation forced us to decide. Something still wasn’t working properly”

In March 2022, the band announced Erik Grönwall as their new vocalist, replacing ZP Theart, winner of the reality show Swedish Idol (the Swedish version of the famous American Idol), where he sang “18 And Life”.

Studio Albums

Skid Row (1989)
Slave to the Grind (1991)
Subhuman Race (1995)
Thickskin (2003)
Revolutions Per Minute (2006)
United World Rebellion: Chapter One (2013)
Rise of the Damnation Army: Chapter Two (2014)
The Gang’s All Here (2022)