Album Review: SKOLD - Never Is Now

01. Never Is Now

02. Small World

03. Pharmaceuticals

04. Roses

05. Please Remain Calm

06. Ravenous

07. In Another Life

08. This Is The End

09. Idle Hands

10. Temple Of Rage

11. Be Brave

12. American Bluff

13. This Is What You Get

14. Insatiable

15. And So 

I first heard multi-instrumentalist Tim Sköld when he fronted the criminally underrated Shotgun Messiah in the 90's. Their album Violent New Breed was the perfect mix of Hard Rock and Industrial Metal, and even to this day I consider it to be better than anything Marilyn Manson or Trent Reznor have ever released.

Since his Shotgun Messiah days, Tim has been involved in numerous projects, played for KMFDM and Marilyn Manson, and released some solo records. I believe Never Is Now is his fourth full-length album under the Skold moniker. 

Being unfamiliar with his solo material, I wasn't sure what to expect from Never Is Now. I'd say it's mostly Industrial Electronica with a splash of Metal guitars in there to beef things up when needed. It's more in the ball park of Nine Inch Nails, than the high-octane Industrial Glam fury of Violent New Breed. 

Never Is Now is a mostly mid-paced affair with some real gems here and there. Roses is a stand-out track for me. If Marilyn Manson had released a version of this song it would have been a huge hit. This Is The End is my personal favourite on the album with its upbeat riffing and haunting vocal sections.

Other tracks that really grabbed me include the cynical American Bluff and the Industrial Sleaze of Insatiable.

Overall, Never Is Now is a strong record and a further reminder of what a creative talent Tim Sköld is.