Slave To the Grind (1991)

Two and a half years ago, on their debut album, Skid Row's hard rock seemed to stress pose over genuine power. But now, on Slave to the Grind, the band makes its tough stance real. The title tune and ''Riot Act'' both attack with fury, while the insistent grooves of ''Monkey Business'' and ''Creepshow'' ooze snarling danger. The ballads have a surprising depth -- ''Quicksand Jesus'' starkly questions religious faith, and ''Wasted Time'' aches with disillusionment. But the most telling track is an anthem-in-the-making called ''Get the F--- Out,'' a catchy number whose foul-mouthed chorus is bound to be echoed in arenas the world over. (Unfortunately, conservative record chains will carry a version of the album that replaces this tune with the tamer ''Beggars Day''). Slave to the Grind shows that Skid Row's music is aging like good moonshine whiskey — it's rotten to the core and it burns as it goes down. A-

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