Illegal Foreign Object

The easy thing for Skid Row to have done after selling five million copies of the band’s debut self-titled album would have been to release a copycat album with different song titles. “I Remember You”, 18 & Life”, and “Youth Gone Wild” were all smash hits. Singer Sebastian Bach had heartthrob looks to match his gutter angel vocals. Successful tours with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, and Mötley Crüe, as well as a massive stadium run with Guns ‘N Roses just before the release of Skid Row’s second album, all but guaranteed the train would keep on rolling. With everything lined up for yet another smash, radio-friendly record, why not take the path of least resistance?

“We wanted to do something a little more rugged,” said Bach to Loudwire. “We saw what else was happening out there. I liked Pantera. I loved Cowboys From Hell.”

Most of Slave To The Grind was written and demoed in New Jersey with producer Michael Wagener. From there, the band went to Ft. Lauderdale, holing up in Gloria Estefan’s New River Studios. When some fans figured out the band was in town, they began showing up to the studio, hoping to spot one or more of the members. “One day there were like 40 kids out there,” Bach told Music In SF. “Like, the whole parking lot was packed. I decided to order five giant pizzas for all of them. I walked out and sat down with them and gave them all pizza. That’s a great memory.” 

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich stopped by the studio the day Bach was tracking vocals for the lead single, the groove-soaked barn burner “Monkey Business”. The extra motivation was all the gangly singer needed — he laid down one of the most vicious vocals of that era.

Eschewing most of the lyrical stereotypes of the era, the band instead tackled topics like politics, drugs, religion, authority, and depression on Slave To The Grind. One year later, the grunge movement regularly tapped such subjects, but Skid Row was an outlier in hard rock circles. The band also wanted to get away from the “hair metal” category. Truthfully, Skid Row was always more of a punk rock band with glam leanings — think New York Dolls with more talent and fewer drug issues.

The desperation to stretch beyond the “hair metal” label led to some missteps from the band, most notably from Bach. During a show in Springfield, Massachusetts — an opening slot on Aerosmith’s Pump tour — Bach winged a bottle that had hit him in the head back into a sea of fans. He hit a girl who had nothing to do with the incident — the bottle broke her nose. Bach compounded the problem by jumping into the crowd and kicking another fan in the face. He was arrested, received three years probation, and cut a $500,000 check to the girl whose nose he broke.

The January 1991 issue of RIP Magazine featured a cover story called EXCLUSIVE! SEBASTIAN AFTER THE BOTTLE. The cover told the real story — the singer wasn’t backing down, regardless of what you thought of him or his band. I hung that cover on my bedroom wall.

I was just shy of my 14th birthday and knee-deep in teenage angst when Slave To The Grind dropped. I had a small birthday thing a few weeks later and invited four friends to hang out, listen to tunes, and mosh around my tiny bedroom. One of the dudes brought Slave To The Grind with him (along with White Lion’s Pride). My mom had saved up and gotten me a stereo system — the first thing that ever went into the CD player was Skid Row. I cannot express to you how many times my mom has come through in the clutch when it came to my love for music.

From Dave “Snake” Sabo’s “Monkey Business” opening to Sebastian Bach’s wounded wail at the end of “Wasted Time”, I sat, stood, and moshed in front of that Magnavox stereo system in total disbelief. From bangers to ballads, this album had it all. It melted my face clean off my skull. “Slave To The Grind” is damn near a speed metal song, “Psycho Love” and “Mudkicker” are intensely groovy, “Riot Act” sounds like something the Ramones might’ve recorded, and the three ballads, “In A Darkened Room”, “Quicksand Jesus”, and the aforementioned “Wasted Time”, showcase the beauty and power of Sebastian Bach’s vocal genius.

Surprisingly, the dude who brought the CD wasn’t a big fan. It was a far heavier sound than Skid Row’s self-titled debut, and he didn’t vibe with it. He came to his senses a few weeks later, but not before I convinced him to sell me the CD for the birthday money my nana and grandpa had sent me. I still play Slave To The Grind several times a year. It remains one of my favorite albums, conjuring myriad memories of innocent(ish) youths going wild.

The album went on to sell 2 million copies. It is also the first heavy metal record to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Some members may hate each other’s guts now, but back in 1991, they were one of the heaviest, grooviest things going. 

Track List:

1. Monkey Business 10/10
2. Slave To The Grind 10/10
3. The Threat 9/10
4. Quicksand Jesus 10/10
5. Psycho Love 10/10
6. Get The Fuck Out 8/10
7. Livin’ On A Chain Gang 9/10
8. Creepshow 9/10
9. In A Darkened Room 10/10
10. Riot Act 9/10
11. Mudkicker 9/10
12. Wasted Time 10/10
13. Beggar’s Day* 10/10

Grade: 95

* Replaced “Get The Fuck Out” on the edited version of the album.