Matti Alfonzetti is someone very active in the Swedish Metal Scene since the mid 80's, he had sung in countless bands playing or related with almost every talented musician in the Swedish territory from BAM BAM BOYS to TALISMAN to BOXER to ROAD II RUIN. He was also very successful with his international project such as JAGGED EDGE or touring with Scott Gorham (THIN LIZZY/21 GUNS) solo band (WESTERN FRONT), later on he also release a bunch of superb solo albums between 2000 and 2011 ("Ready" is a truly essential piece for every Melodic Rock fan collection), before (re)forming the JAGGED EDGE's Spin-off with English Mike Gray from SKIN: RED WHITE AND BLUE. His collaboration with Tommy Denander in the band IMPERA is also a triumph.

But in the early 90's, he felt the need to get involved in a heavier concept so along with his buddy George Bravo (ex-ERRATIC TALE) he formed a hot new band highly promising and quickly signed by legendary Polar label, immediately SKINTRADE became the new sensation, and received high praise by both the audience and the medias, the riffs were sharp with strong reminiscences of PANTERA but with still a melodic behavior.

The band was armed and ready to negotiated perfectly the Grunge trap hassle and their second album "Roachpowder" was even darker and reveal beside their early mix of Heaviness and Melody, some unusual twisted harmonies in the ALICE IN CHAINS vein, this album was released in 1995, but unfortunately the band split up at the end of that year with the members going their separate ways.

In 2012 the band unexpectedly reformed with only one guitar player, and published the best-of album "Past and Present" which included three new songs, and today I have to write about the new and third album called "Refueled", it packs twelve stunningly powerful songs with a great consensus potential, that will place SKINTRADE again in an advantageous position in the new revitalized  Hard Rock / Melodic Metal revival scene from Scandinavia .

The sound of the band has matured, still fierce and intense but much more positive and rid of the trappings of the depressive Seattle flavor, very much in the style of the debut even updated and enhanced by the acquired experience of those veterans

Along with STONE DIVISION or CULLOODEN, the Swedes show to the world that melodic Metal doesn't need to be nostalgic to be efficient... Another album to purchase in order to stay awake and watching a new melodic revolution which coming our way straight from the Nordic Lands.

Matti Alfonzetti's selected discography:

ALFONZETTI "Ready" (2000)
BAM BAM BOYS "s/t" (1999)
DAMNED NATION "Sign Of Madness" (2004)
JAGGED EDGE "Fuel For Your Soul" (1990)
RADIOACTIVE "Yeah" (2003)
ROAD TO RUIN "RIIR" (2007)
SKINTRADE "s/t" (1993)
SKINTRADE "Refueled" (2014)
TALISMAN "Genesis" 2003's GMR dual CD reissue (1993)