Place of Skulls were formed in the spring of 2000 by founder of the legendary band Death Row, and former guitarist of Pentagram, Victor Griffin. He gathered other musicians from bands like Spirit Caravan, The Obsessed, Trouble and St.Vitus, to name a few. Needless to say, Place Of Skulls play doom metal!
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NAILED (2002) SOUTHERN LORD
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Line-up: Victor Griffin: Lead Guitar and Vocals Tim Tomaselli: Drums Lee Abney: Bass |
Doom metal is a genre I seldom find bands I enjoy in. They all usually pale in comparison to Candlemass. But my dear friend Scott send me this CD, along with a Last Chapter album. And I was amazed to find 2 new doom bands I enjoyed at the same time! Place Of Skulls is not the ultra slow kind of doom, and can be compared to the old Black Sabbath and Trouble sound. Their sound is more melodic, or diverse, then most doom bands. 'Nailed' is just a cool album that doesn't wear out so fast. "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood" is an awesome cover of the old Animals classic. I've always thought that this tune would suit a metal make-over, and these guys proved me right!
Killer tracks: Never Die, Dead, Return
WITH VISION (2003) SOUTHERN LORD
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Line-up: Victor Griffin: Guitar, Vocals Tim Tomaselli: Drums Wino - Guitar, Vocals With: Greg Turley: Bass |
Place Of Skulls are back. 'With Vision' is the title of the new album. And let me tell you, it almost puts 'Nailed' in shame! It's an excellent doom metal platter, that I would rank alongside old Black Sabbath and Trouble, both in sound, and in musical value. I have played it over and over again, and I rarely ever do that with a doom album. They tend to bore me within a few spins. Not so with 'With Vision'. Heck, even the instrumental tracks are cool! What more can I say? The vibe of the entire album appeals to me.
Killer tracks: Pretty much all of them.
LOVE THROUGH BLOOD (2005) OUTLAW (EP)
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Line-up: Victor Griffin: Guitar, Vocals Tim Tomaselli: Drums Lee Abney - Bass |
Place Of Skulls have become one of my favorite doom metal bands. Not only do they deliver great music, but they have a killer message to boot! 'Love Through Blood' sees the band continuing to impress me. This is slow and soulful doom metal, ala old Black Sabbath. The 4 tracks presented here were originally meant to be part of the 'Nailed' CD. But their record company at that time didn't want to include them, because of their bold Christian lyrics. So the band went in and recorded 3 other tracks to include on that album instead. The way people acted because of Victor's beliefs, and the constant line-up changes, caused Victor to almost disband Place Of Skulls during 2005. But finally we get to hear these tracks, and the band will release a new full length album in 2006! Excellent news, and an excellent EP indeed! "Concuming Fire" is a Third Day cover.
THE BLACK IS NEVER FAR (2006) EXILE ON
MAINSTREAM
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Line-up: Victor Griffin: Guitar, Vocals Dennis Cornelius - Bass, Vocals Tim Tomaselli: Drums With: Lee Abney - Bass on 7, 9, 13, Backup vocals on 7 Chastity Brown - Saxophone on 11 Charles Robinson - Backing Vocals on 7 |
Thank God, Griffin never got to put Place Of Skulls to rest! 'The Black Is Never' is easily the bands best effort in every which way possible. The entire album has this somber vibe that just suits the band so well. And finally we get a full album that lyrically show the stance this band takes spiritually. Every song is Christ centered, and delivers the message of hop to the listeners. There are so many choice cuts on this album, I wouldn't even know where to start! But check out "Sense Of Divinity", "Apart From Me" and "Relentless" (a reworked Pentagram tune) for references on the diversity of the bands music. And to round this entire package of, the production is nothing but stellar either, giving the songs a nice, rich sound, with fat guitars and bombarding drums. Victor and the boys might just have created the perfect doom metal album!
Killer tracks: All of them
