Skinflint, who were formed in 2005, is a three piece African Heavy Metal band from Botswana consisting of Giuseppe Sbrana aka Juice (guitar/vocals), Kebonye Nkoloso aka Raskebo (bass) and Sandra Sbrana aka Hurricane Sandy (drums). They have toured and headlined festivals across Africa, as well as supporting acts such as Carcass. This is their fourth full-length album, but the first that has been made available as an official release as opposed to a CD-R. Their aim is to mix traditional heavy metal (which has been very influenced indeed by early Iron Maiden) with African lyrical ideas to create something that in many ways is different to the musical scene in their own country, and also different to the metal scene outside of Africa.
Raskebo is the person driving the main difference, as he is using a plectrum which gives the bass a very distinct sound, and is at the forefront in a manner not often heard outside of Maiden. It isn’t unusual for him to be taking the lead, or providing a direct harmony to Juice. They somehow manage to often produce a sound that really doesn’t sound like a trio as there is the impression of more guitars even though in reality they are not there. Juice has been listening a lot to Max Cavalera in terms of vocal approach, which gives the band a harder edge than the music actually deserves, as it is only when listening intently that one realises that in reality there isn’t anything incredibly special going on after all. There is no doubt that these are one of the top metal bands in Africa, but it doesn’t really translate into the wider world scene. This is okay, nothing more or less, but it is going to take more than this to enable them to break out of Botswana and make a real impact in America or Europe.
www.skinflintmetal.com
