Description

Grey marbled vinyl with insert. Limited 350 numbered copies

After the departure of iconic singer Martin Walkyier, after the questionable reworked songs of No Daylights nor Heeltaps, Skyclad was eventually back to serious business with their first full-length album featuring Kevin Ridley on vocals. If opinions may differ about it, if some long-time fans probably haven’t even condescended to lend an ear on it (people are stupid, old news), at least something is sure: this isn’t classic Skyclad anymore…. and it’s a good thing. Really. The Silent Whales of Lunar Sea has already been recorded. Vintage Whine has already been recorded. So-called Classic Skyclad could hardly get better than those. A Semblance of Normality has indeed to be first rewarded for being one of the most consistent albums the guys ever put out. So what’s this so-called mood, may you ask. When the band released No Daylights Nor Heeltaps back in 2002, they intended it not only as an introduction to the new vocalist, but also as an indication of their new direction. Surprisingly, this new release is similar to ‘No Daylights’ only in terms of vocals. Heavier, downtuned guitars take priority on many of the songs, and overall, ‘A Semblance of Normality’ is less folky than a Skyclad fan might expect or hope. Seriously, you’ll have to admit it once and for all: there isn’t any serious complaint to make about this album, and if Skyclad with Walkyier was great, Skyclad without Walkyier has proved to be great as well. Ridley’s melodic voice is very agreeable to hear, the songwriting is solid, the cleverly used orchestra adds a novel, powerful touch. Of course there may lack any real anthemic, iconic song here. A Semblance of Normality being really one of these albums which deserves being listened to from the beginning to the end. This isn’t classic Skyclad anymore but who cares.

Track listing:
1. Intro (Pipes Solo)
2. Do They Mean Us?
3. A Good Day To Bury Bad News
4. Anotherdrinkingsong
5. A Survival Campaign
6. The Song Of No-Involvement
7. The Parliament Of Fools
8. Ten Little Kingdoms
9. Like… A Ballad For The Disenchanted
10. Lightening The Load
11. NTRWB
12. Hybrid Blues
13. Outro (The Dissolution Of Parliament)