V/A – Skins & Pinz Volume III / 2006 GMM / 22 Tracks / http://www.gmmrecords.net / Reviewed 22 May 2006

There are these things called compilations, and on these compilations, there are certain record labels that try to talk for the entirety of punk music with their Punk-O-Rama series. I think GMM should have that title, as “Skins & Pinz” has a collection of some of the hardest and most serious punk bands on the scene. There are some major acts on the disc (Discipline, Templars, Anti-Heros), but there are also some acts that might not be known by everyone yet (Emergency, Deadline). A number of the bands on the disc come forth with a streetpunk edge, but there are a few bands that cross over into the oi side of things.

Two things really distinguish this disc from the rest of the punk compilations on the market, and those are the fact that the disc is so much more professional sounding than the typical punk disc, and that the selection of bands are all solid; Skins & Pinz is not a compilation that will put the shittiest acts at the end of the CD. The great thing is that a number of these acts have a normal runtime for their tracks on this disc; while acts like Suburban Threat and Agnostic Front have shorter tracks, the average song on the disc hovers at around 3 minutes.

A early peak to this album is Dicipline’s “City of Light”; the gruff vocals that dominate the track only have a guitar line to contend with. The guitar work is so fitting to the track that this struggle is not something that can easily be resolved. Another peak comes during Oxymoron’s “Life’s A Bitch”. The vocals are again a focal point of the track, while the all-in chorus that is a major part of the track is the reason to tune in and drop out. The Whiskey Rebels continue the high level of quality during this disc with their “Reeper Calling”. The guitar work has another dimension to it that surpasses that of most of the other tracks on the disc because it is layered and more successfully integrated with the rest of the music on the track. There is nary a weak spot to be found on “Skins & Pinz Volume III”, and for anyone who is trying to find some of the best punk bands out today, this may be the one compilation to pick up this year. Crib this album.

Top Tracks: Whiskey Rebels “Reeper Calling” , Emergency “What You Gonna Do?”

Rating: 7.6/10

[JMcQ]