SKARLETT RIOT

Skarlett Riot's forthcoming EP 'Villain' is the follow-up to their eponymously titled debut offering, also an EP which received glowing commendation from the likes of Metal Hammer and Classic Rock Magazine. So what are this North Lincolnshire quartet all about? Describing themselves as hard rock is perhaps not the full story as the general heaviness of the guitar sounds over many passages, and the nature of some of the riffing, indubitably fits the metal glove more than a rock one at certain times. The powerful vocals of frontwoman Skarlett, however, pertain to a classic hard rock approach so I guess they've generically classified themselves based primarily on the singing. Don't be misled though, there's metal at play here too and it's a fairly astute balance they've struck between the rock and metal elements that should enable 'Villain' wide appeal to fans of both genres. With the core of the EP comprised of four tracks, 'Take It All' is listed as a bonus (presumably a re-recorded version as their debut also featured a song with this title) and there's also a censored version of 'Read My Lips' which has been stripped of any "fucks" in the lyrics (I'm not sure why the inclusion of a censored version of this track is appropriate on a short EP but maybe the band are anticipating mainstream radio airplay?). So, effectively just four main tracks to get your teeth into, a little over fourteen minutes, but Skarlett Riot utilise that short playing time well within which they showcase exactly what they're capable of and just exactly why their debut engendered such positive press. The rock/metal fusion with female vocals has been done many times before and, dare I say better, by the likes of Crucified Barbara, For Selena and Sin, Sister Sin etc, but Skarlett Riot, based on this latest material, are on the right path to making their own mark in the scene.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Self-released

EP

VILLAIN

Review by Mark Holmes

RUNNING TIME:

21:42

RELEASE DATE:

19th March 2012

TRACK LISTING

1) Party Hard
2) Read My Lips
3) You're The Enemy
4) Villain
5) Take It All
6) Read My Lips (Censored)

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"...it's a fairly astute balance they've struck between the rock and metal elements that should enable 'Villain' wide appeal to fans of both genres."