Union Black

Union Black
Studio album by Skindred
Released April 25, 2011 (2011-04-25) (UK)
July 1, 2011 (2011-07-01) (DE, AUT, SWI)
September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) (AUS)
Recorded Britannia Row Studios
Genre Alternative metal, reggae
Length 46:01
Label BMG
Producer James Loughrey
Skindred chronology
Shark Bites and Dog Fights
(2009)		 Union Black
(2011)
Singles from Union Black
  1. "Warning (feat. Jacoby Shaddix)"
    Released: April 6, 2011
  2. "Cut Dem"
    Released: July 1, 2011
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Thrash Hits (5.5/6)[1]
The New Review [2]
Sputnikmusic [3]
Rockfreaks.net [4]

Union Black is the fourth album from Welsh ragga metal band Skindred. It was released on April 25, 2011 in the United Kingdom & on July 1, 2011 in Europe. The album is notable for featuring more usage of dubstep, hip hop and drum and bass elements than previous works.

Contents

Background

The album was produced by James Loughrey at Britannia Row Studios.[5] Benji Webbe stated in an interview with Kerrang![6] that he wanted to get some collaborations on the new album and had originally hoped to get Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour to sing on the album, but due to other commitments this was not possible. He went on to say that after sending an incomplete version of the song Warning to friend Jacoby Shaddix (of Papa Roach), Shaddix flew into the studio to record some extra vocals for the track. After the alterations, "Warning" was the released as the first single from the album, was debuted on BBC Radio 1's Rock show with Daniel P Carter[7] and has subsequently received airtime on BBC 6 Music and BBC Guernsey,[8] being played by Don Letts and Bruce Dickinson. The video debuted on YouTube on April 6.[9] The album's art is contributed by graphic artist Tim Fox.[10] The album was promoted with a UK tour, with support acts Chiodos and Me Vs Hero. On June 30, the band's official Facebook page released "Doom Riff" as a free download, and the day after, on July 1, the video for "Cut Dem" was released as the second single from the album. On September 6 the band announced a deal with Australian Record label with 3 Wise/Sony Records to release the album on September 23, along with the announcement of their tour with Hollywood Undead after the cancellation of 2011's Soundwave Revolution.

Track listing

No. Title Length
1. "Union Black" (Intro) 1:10
2. "Warning" (featuring Jacoby Shaddix) 3:50
3. "Cut Dem"   3:51
4. "Doom Riff"   3:48
5. "Living a Lie"   4:26
6. "Guntalk"   4:01
7. "Own You"   3:32
8. "Make Your Mark"   3:41
9. "Get It Now"   4:58
10. "Bad Man Ah Bad Man"   3:30
11. "Death to All Spies"   5:05
12. "Game Over"   4:09

Personnel

Additional Personnel

Critical reception

The album has been well received, earning praise from many metal reviewers. Thrash Hits gave the album 5.5/6 stars,[11] stating "this is very much the Skindred album we’ve all been waiting for". Alternate Vision also rated the album highly, giving it 5/5 stars,[12] reporting that Skindred had "fully upped their game with Union Black". The New Review gave the album 4.5/5,[13] remarking that "there is nothing similar to Union Black". Sputnikmusic gave the album a 4 out of 5, saying "Overall this is not an album that everyone is going to fully appreciate first time and that some might not appreciate ever [...] but as you get used to the many twists that the album throws at you it becomes better and better".

Chart performance

Charts (2011) Peak
position
UK Albums Chart[14] 54

References

  1. ^ Thrash Hits review
  2. ^ The New Review
  3. ^ Sputnikmusic
  4. ^ Rockfreaks.net review
  5. ^ "SKINDRED: 'Union Black' Track Listing Revealed". BlabberMouth. http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=155589. 
  6. ^ Kerrang! Podcast: Skindred on YouTube
  7. ^ "Daily Dred". http://skindred.webs.com/apps/blog/show/6027907-february-2011-news. Retrieved 11 May 2011. 
  8. ^ "Skindred info – BBC". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/artists/36e371e9-e76b-4b66-b813-e1d1af6d7128. Retrieved 11 May 2011. 
  9. ^ Skindred Warning on YouTube
  10. ^ "Skindred.net". http://www.skindred.net/skindred-unveil-new-union-black-artwork/. Retrieved 25 April 2011. 
  11. ^ Sharma, Amit. "Union Black Thrash Hits review". http://www.thrashhits.com/2011/04/album-skindred-%E2%80%93-union-black/. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
  12. ^ Trigger. "Alternate Vision Union Black Review". http://www.alternativevision.co.uk/cdreview1327.html. Retrieved 7 May 2011. 
  13. ^ Velliquette, Josh. "The New Review – Union Black". http://thenewreview.net/reviews/skindred-union-black. Retrieved 5 June 2011. 
  14. ^ Chart, UK. "UK Chart 2011". http://www.theofficialcharts.com/albums-chart/. Retrieved 2 May 2011. 
Skindred

Benji Webbe · Mikey Demus · Daniel Pugsley · Arya Goggin


Jeff "Death" Rose · Martyn "Ginge" Ford
Studio albums
Singles
"Target/Brainkilla" · "Nobody" · " Pressure" · " Rat Race" · "Trouble"  · "Electric Avenue" · "Stand for Something" · "You Can't Stop It" · "Warning" · "Cut Dem"
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