| The Skull | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 15, 1985[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1985 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Doom metal | |||
| Length | 43:01 | |||
| Label | Combat, Metal Blade | |||
| Producer | Trouble, Bill Metoyer, Brian Slagel | |||
| Trouble chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Blistering | (favourable)[3] |
| Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 8/10[4] |
| Rock Hard | 9/10[5] |
The Skull is the second studio album by the American doom metal band Trouble, released by Combat and Metal Blade Records on April 15, 1985.
Trouble gained critical recognition for The Skull and it was followed by a successful tour. The album reflected singer Eric Wagner's struggles with substance abuse, however, as well as growing turmoil within the group. This led to the departure of bassist Sean McAllister in 1986; he was replaced by Ron Holzner during that year, who would remain with the band until their 2002 reunion. In early 1986, shortly after The Skull tour began, drummer Jeff Olson would also leave to pursue higher education and the band regrouped with a new lineup later that year. Olson would play the Hammond organ on Trouble's third studio album, Run to the Light, in 1987 and keyboards on their 1990 self-titled album, eventually fully reuniting with the band in 1993. Olson played on Trouble's sixth and seventh studio albums, Plastic Green Head and Simple Mind Condition, released in 1995 and 2007, respectively, before leaving the band again in 2008.
The Skull has been released on CD on several occasions: in 1990 by Enigma Records; in 1991 by Metal Blade Records, both by itself and bundled with Trouble's 1984 debut album Psalm 9; remastered and reissued by Escapi Music on October 24, 2006 with a bonus DVD containing concert footage of the band from 1985 at Malo's in Aurora, Illinois; and remastered and reissued by Hammerheart Records, cooperating alongside Trouble, Inc., on May 20, 2020.
- ^ "New Releases" (PDF). FMQB. March 29, 1985. p. 31. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
- ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Trouble - The Skull review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Gehlke, David E. "Trouble - Psalm 9 / The Skull (Reissues)". Blistering. Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ^ Popoff, Martin (November 1, 2005). The Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal: Volume 2: The Eighties. Burlington, Ontario, Canada: Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 366. ISBN 978-1-894959-31-5.
- ^ Kühnemund, Götz (1985). "Review Album: Trouble - The Skull". Rock Hard (in German). No. 11. Retrieved October 30, 2017.