Here we go, another "When I was young..." moment (I literally walked 5 miles to school in bush so wild wolves, bear and moose were a real danger, so shut up grandpa!) but in the early 80's punk and metal didn't get along so well. MOTORHEAD of course was what we could agree upon but eventually the inevitable merger happened. Most was because punk musicians got good at their chosen instruments through sheer repetition and metal realized a lot of attitude was shared. Lemmy blessed it and we now can have bands like Skull Pit.

From the raw sound of Tatsu Mikami's angry Rickenbacher Bass (the choice of crazy mad bass gods) to the piercing monotonal screaming of Mem V. Stein, Skull Pit's opener "Double Cross" slaps you awake with this duo's aggressively fast song. "Roller" is even faster, and the classic "I am bad ass, look out". Tatsu, who hails from Tokyo Japan writes the music, and it is well thought out, but the two recorded and mixed the album from the opposite sides of the earth and something might have been lost in translation. Vocally "Fire Breather" reminded me of The Dead Milkmen and the solo just made me want to pogo in the mosh pit, but man was it recorded tight! The bluesy "Year of the Dog" had me figuratively tapping my toes (literally is an impossibility for me lol) but I was finally able to vocalize my problems with this CD.

"Soul Raiders" is actually a perfect song to bring up me issues. Musically it is a perfect angry song, fast, loud, and in your face. The balance between the instruments is right on the money. That bass is sounding amazing but overall the mix is seriously lacking  bottom end. The guitars sound like they're being played through my dad's 1952 car radio speakers, tinny and harsh. Gotta admit though, loved the opening for  'Marauders", very Philty Phil aggressive. "The Line" is straight ahead rock, hard and steady. It's just at this point the tinny guitar sound is making it's presence undeniable. when  the solo came it took all I could muster  just to continue. "All the Lessons" was classic punk, and Brian "Mitt" Daniels was a pleasant surprise sing some versus.

Skull Pit might not be for everyone, and their EQ settings might need work, but overall their premiere album was enjoyable and has me looking forward to anything new coming down the road. P.S. Don't lose that bass sound, it's  awesome!