Massacre Records 1999 reissue CD Maximum 2002
Skullview's 1998 debut Legends of Valor was a monolith of heavy/USPM/doom that immediately put them on the map as one of the 90s best acts around, worthy to be mentioned alongside the likes of Cauldron Born and Virgin Steele (not a 90s act per se, but all of their best releases came out during that time). 1999's followup Kings of the Universe isn't quite Legends of Valor, but it's not far from it in terms of quality. It's a tad less arcane, a tad less consistent, the guitar tone is a tad less tasty, but it's still crazy USPM of the highest caliber. Vocalist Quimby Lewis is still on top of his game with his inimitably gruff wail, there are still huge, chunky riffs to melt your face off, and the songwriting is still quite excellent. With their second full-length album, Skullview join the ranks of the very few (especially in the late 90s) USPM bands to release two top-tier albums.
The doom influence is pretty much gone here, and the songs are more accessible and a bit less ambitious, but everything is still basically as it should be. The production is thick and heavy, Quimby is loud and prominent but doesn't overshadow the riffs - which would be a huge problem since his vocal style, like Tim Baker's, just wouldn't work at all by itself or with any other riffing style - he's perfect for this band but would be terrible almost anywhere else. The band has a little bit of the weirdness I hear in Cirith Ungol and somewhat in Crush and Brocas Helm as well - it's hard to pin down exactly, but it's basically this arcane, otherworldly, almost alien feel that's not necessarily good in and of itself but works in the context of the band. I think maybe this stems from the fact that the elements of each band would be mediocre or uninteresting by themselves, but put together they're just amazing; as I said earlier, Quimby Lewis or Tim Baker or even Bobby Wright would be pretty bad by themselves or anywhere else; the riffs of said bands are all fairly good, but would also be unspectacular with a "normal" vocalist. Skullview, especially on this album, aren't as "weird" as those three bands, but that element is still present here, albeit to a lesser extent.
If you like meaty, chunky blue collar USPM, though, this album is certainly what you're looking for. Songs like the title track, "Hand of Zeus," and "Cobwebs and Shadowed Images" are just everything I could want in this style; awesome riffs, great vocal lines, seamless songwriting. Unlike the debut, there is actually a ballad here ("Mourning Light"), but it's done very well, which is somewhat surprising to me considering Quimby's vocal style, but he manages a much cleaner approach here that fits perfectly. And once again the band wears their Cirith Ungol influence on their sleeve; the intro is a complex acoustic passage not unlike that on Cirith Ungol's "Finger of Scorn," and there's even a bit of classical influence, just like on that album. To be fair, "Mourning Light" is really only a half-ballad, breaking into a savage fury of riffs and wails later on, but the ballad section is very tastefully and masterfully executed; the band really show themselves to be both deft and versatile. If you're a fan of USPM or Skullview, this album will not disappoint.
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