The Skeptics – Lonely, Black And Blue

(Chances are, if you picked this record, you know what you’re headin’ for. If you don’t, let me tell you this; you’d better gear up for an unhealthy dose of raw garage punk. But what makes this band all so different from any other garage punk outfit out there, I hear you say? Well, maybe it’s the fact that the band doesn’t fuck around with superfluous crap and certainly manages to keep it simple and efficient. That could be explained by the fact that what is now a full-blown band (well, a three-piece to be exact), started as a one-man project in a dirty garage somewhere (OK I actually don’t know WHERE it started but I assume it’s a garage). So maybe Bart (Vox & guitar) was limited by his ability to play all the instruments back then and it showed in his compositions, but most likely, he just knows how to write a good garage song! But don’t think that the Skeptics went all fancy ‘cuz Bart got himself a real band (that’s Kristal on bass & vocals and Xavier on drums). The songs sound as vicious as ever and the formula stays the same, thick fuzz, skin bashing, gnarly vocals and straightforward riffs. And yet, we’re led to believe that those garage-heads dig stuff other than their ’60s punk comps if we’re to listen to their fuzz-driven rendition of Chrissy Zebby Tembo’s ‘Troublemaker’. And I gotta say, that’s another point for the Skeptics, cause who seriously wants to hear another cover of Wildman? Anyway, I’m not gonna go into much more details about the sound of the Skeptics cuz if you’re reading this, the record can’t be that far and you should just give it a spin instead of wasting your time with my rambling. Christophe – Bananas Magazine)