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The solo material by Liv Kristine is, by far, something many fans of metal may not fully embrace at first. Given this vixen's time with such acts as Theatre of Tragedy and Leaves Eye's, her solo work was practically dwarfed with guest appearances and other bands. Her solo debut was even around for eight years before it was followed up, and it's been nearly four years since that full-length. Of course, there's been some EPs and singles in that time, but it's simply not the same for her dedicated fans. The solo material released by this young, accomplished vocalist finds her departing from the metal world, and venturing more into a folk Rock world, which fans of Leaves Eye's wouldn't really be shocked by due to Viking lyrical content. Either wAY, Skintight marks Liv Kristine's third full-length release, as it captures her signature angelic voice perfectly. Skintight is an album that, while far from the standard expectations of Liv Kristine, is just such a good album that fans of any work of hers will be pleqsed. The music here is just typical Rock and Folk coming together, but there's a nice edge to the melody that is incorporated that it doesn't wind up getting too old, as well as causes the music to stand out among the other bands in both categories. You have a good mix here as well, as Skintight presents both faster, more classic Rock/Hard Rock elements, but the slower songs are really where the album shines due to Liv Kristine's performance. The most enchanting of songs on this release is the slower paced "Love in Gray", which brings in a traditional acoustic Folk sound that goes at a very slower pace, but thanks to the vocal performance, as well as some haunting guitar work that appears in the song, the track really stands out here and makes you want to go right back to it's very soothing overall sound. Another thing about this release is that there are times the music seems to take a bit of a Country spin. This can be evidenced through the odder song on the album, "Emotional Catastrophies". Not only does the build up in the verses come off more as a Progressive Rock influenced style thanks to the accompanying xylophones used, but the guitars really bring in a maintream County Rock atmosphere to the chorus that really works and pulls everything together despite the aforementioned Progressive element to the song. Of course, there's also "Lifeline", which seems to bring in some guitars that would resemble more of a Spanish effort near the end for the guitar solo. This one, admittedly, does feel a little out of place, but it's very short at the end, and winds up adding a hint of uniqueness to the song, which actually comes off a bit generic, though it seems to follow the same rules at "Emotional Catastrophies". Aside that song, there's nothing all too bad about this album. The only odd thing about it is how it's set up as far as the track listing goes, and it can get annoying after a while without a random option. The slower paced songs don't typically offer much in the line of variety. In fact, many of them sound a little similar to the last with the overall performance and sound, such as with "Wonders" and "Lifeline", but the key differences are still there. These tracks are more gearing towards being pushed by the vocal talent presented here, and if this signature voice weren't tacked on, chancs are these songs would eventually become boring and feel like generic filler material after a while. So, while this is just something that ultimately works in the favor of the album, there's plehty of these slower songs through the album. In fact, every other song is a slower song. This is where the album does start to get a bit ridiculous. While the slower songs really are what the album is about and show off the most talent of the solo performer in the band name, the faster songsx are nice too and have more going fo rthem in the long run. It would have been nice to have more of these fasrer songs, such as the more Rock oriented title track "Skintight" that opens the album and hooks the listener. There is an exception to this, however, and that is with 'Wonders" and "Versified Harmonies", ax they are both slower paced tracks. "The Rarest Flower" is also a slower paced song, which is really a barren song that focuses again mostly on the vocals, which are only accompanied with pianos that start off rather bland but pick up as the song goes along, though still aren't too much, though clearly have a very Classical approach to them. This fbeing a slower song, however, if you followed the pattern, is pretty obvious. Skintight by Liv Kristine winds up being a great lighter release from the famous vocalist, and it works well with her angelic harmonies she brings to the vocal duties of this release. Honestly, if it weren't for her, much of this album would just be generic Folk and Rock. Not all the album will hold your attention, simply because of the amount of slower songs that are brought into it. Outside that, this solo effort is just done well, leaving you reaching for your favorite relaxation vice, darkened lights, and an urge to just kick back and lose yourself in the music. |
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