Well, of course the music sounds the same. Apart from Aaron Walton on drums they've still got basically the same line-up as Vintage Whine and Folkemon, and if we're talking main song-writing, then Biddle and Ramsey have been working together since Prince of the Poverty Line, so naturally that key guitar/violin interplay is still going to be there. I do think that their production has got very glossy, though in a way it might be an extension of what they were doing before (though after the slightly flat production on Vintage Whine I think Folkemons production was probably their best), I can't help wondering if it has something to do with the fact that their producer is now their vocalist?
The reasons that I personally dislike the new Skyclad is mainly fanboyish crap, I suppose. I think it's exemplified by their behaviour over No Daylights...Nor Heeltaps, in not giving Walkyier song-writing credits in the booklet. As well as being petty and illegal, it basically just sums up the fact that, for me, the band is no longer...authentic, I suppose the word is. A huge part of Skyclad's appeal to me came from Walkyiers lyrics and his emotional attachment to him as he sung them. Hearing Ridley sing songs about Walkyiers GRAND-PARENTS (he did 'No Deposit, No Return' on the NDNH bonus CD) just jars the shit out of me. And this extends into the new material: just look the lyrical style. He's aping Walkyier to a disturbing degree. It doesn't feel like it's someone genuinely talking to you anymore, and, the thing is, if Ridley had been dramatically different, maybe then it just wouldn't have been the 'clad...Maybe what I'm saying is, to me, Walkyier almost IS Skyclad. Though obviously it was never just him, he was the protagonist, if you will.
It's just not right without him. Ridley just can't get the emotion, the connection, that magic something that made Skyclad what they were.
Ooh, okay, Skyclad related query. Anyone got a copy of the Inequality Street video? It seems to have been taken off Youtube.
Also did anyone download my mix? Actually, has anyone whose not listened even replied in this thread yet? Come on people, listen to Skyclad! They are awesome! They have hot lixx and violin solos and songs about factory closures and nazi vampires!