Skinlab

Their second album in a year, The Scars Between Us is a modestly interesting release from doom/groove metal outfit Skinlab, but with so little time to evolve since 2008's Skinned Alive, the album feels like little more than a bout of the same old same old. Mid-tempo drums chug away with great emphasis on double-kick and the guitars are slightly melodic, full of what could almost be Fear Factory-worthy clinical sterility. Over all of it vocalist/bassist Steev Esquivel switches between impassioned screams and guttural mumblings in an effort to create some sense of moody vibe. It works for the most-part, and tracks such as "Scream At The World," "In For The Kill" and "Amphetamine Gods" are interesting but, as noted, the band aren't quite as prodigious as they believe, especially in a genre with such solid parameters. The Scars Between Us passes but it's certainly not the release to help Skinlab escape the Machine Head connotations.