The first born child of reggae and punk

The press kit accompanying Skindred's Babylon described the band's sound as an amalgam between the rapping/singing style of a Sean Paul and the instrumentals of System of a Down.\nFor once, a press kit was right on the money. As strange as it might sound, England-based Skindred is in fact a punk/rock band with a lead singer rooted in the reggae tradition. But he also knows how to scream, almost a prerequisite for rock singers today. And the band seamlessly integrates island basslines with rock lead guitars, stirring up more comparison images in my head: 311 mixed with Sum 41, Bob Marley singing with Bad Religion and so on.\nBabylon starts out strong and ends strong, with a lot of good songs in the middle as well. The lead song on the album is also the lead single, a track called "Nobody." It's an appropriate introduction to the record, as lead singer Benji Webbe describes with lyrics what the listener is about to hear, with phrases like "ragga punk power" and "my sound has come to take over." "Nobody's" music video is appropriately bipolar, featuring sexy Jamaican dancers juxtaposed with a raging mosh pit.\nThe album seems like it has six or seven different styles to it. Some of the chords will instantly remind listeners of Papa Roach's glory days, where others will hear twinges of what sound like the smooth island stylings of UB40 (remember them?) "Pressure" in particular is a heavy song with big chords, but the riffs end on dominant one-three-five and four-six-one note patterns, giving the song a very upbeat feel despite the heavy guitar. "Start First" is basically fight music, almost bringing an element of crunk to the album. \nThe only disappointments on the album are "Set it Off," and ironically, the title track, "Babylon." However, even those songs will have their fans because each song is very tightly constructed. There is one track, "The Fear," that seems out of place, with its drum machine beat and very hip-hop feel to it. But with the musical mash-up that is the album as a whole, "The Fear" is an unexpected but welcome style break from Skindred's already unexpected style.\nSkindred is a band that seems to have taken in all the music it possibly could, then spit it back out with its own style and flair, making for a unique listening experience. Amazingly, there are six or seven songs on the album that could go out as radio singles. Six out of 13 isn't bad, but I can practically guarantee you'll listen to the album all the way through and more than once.