Skinlab‘s new cover of the early Hatebreed track “Last Breath” has met its online premiere. The groove metal outfit took on that track from the aforementioned hardcore/metalcore icons with producer Ulrich Wild (Static-X, Taproot) helming the sessions. This cover also serves as Skinlab‘s studio debut with their latest member, guitarist Angelo Miles.
Skinlab vocalist/bassist Steev Esquivel explained the decision to cover this track was not a recent development, rather an idea he’s been kicking around for some time now.
“‘Last Breath‘ is one of those metal anthems that hits you in the chest every time. We’ve been Hatebreed fans from day one. Our boy Brett Makowski — Buzzard — turned us onto them on our first tour. We were instantly blown away by the pure aggression and energy. ‘Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire‘ is one of the heaviest albums to this day. I’ve been wanting to do ‘Last Breath‘ for years.”
Producer Ulrich Wild also commented on tackling the cover with Skinlab:
“It’s always a challenge to do a cover song justice. You have to stay true to the original yet adapt it to your own style. It’s easy to simply play the song — any cover band does that. You have to catch the vibe, but allow yourself the freedom to experiment within the boundaries of the composition. With ‘Last Breath‘ we’re taking a very raw hardcore track and pushing it into the groove metal world for which Skinlab is known. Along with that come multi-layered vocal tracks — Steev‘s signature sound — and new dimensions with additional guitars and a solo.”
This rendition earned a thumbs up from Hatebreed‘s longtime guitarist/vocalist Wayne Lozinak. While sidelined from his duties with Hatebreed last year due to brain tumor surgery, Lozinak remains on the up and up and had the following to say of Skinlab‘s take on their 1997 cut:
“Loving this cover of ‘Last Breath‘! Some different sounds in there going on too, putting a cool twist on it and taking it to a new place. If you haven’t heard it yet, go check it out!”
Skinlab launched their ‘The Tour Of Unsound Minds‘ with groove metal pioneers Exhorder over the weekend, and have the following dates still plotted out for it:
04/07 Manchester, NH – Jewell
04/08 Hamden, CT – Space Ballroom
04/09 Amityville, NY – AMH
04/10 Harrisburg, PA – Capital City Music Hall
04/11 Manalapan, NJ – Locals
04/12 Chesapeake, VA – Riffhouse
04/13 Atlanta, GA – 529
04/14 Raleigh, NC – Chapel Of Bones
04/15 Piedmont, SC – Tribbles
04/16 Chattanooga, TN – BoneBar
04/17 Dunbar, WV – Live At The Shop
04/18 Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
04/19 Cadillac, MI – The Venue
