Song of the Week: Mark of the Beast ft Hen$haw

It's been a while since I wrote for Song of the Week. Between a million distractions and some slight health hiccups, I've been a little absent (major shout-out to Jamey for having my back for the last few weeks, and doing it so well, too!). However, rumours of my demise have been greatly exaggerated, as they say. So here I am, settling into my comfy writing space, about to assault your brainwaves. (Sorry not sorry.)

This poll was a tough one, with Lonely Head and Mark of the Beast vying for top spot. If I'm honest, I'm a little sad that Lonely Head lost out, but I'm definitely not complaining about Mark of the Beast either. I think it was one of the first songs I heard that really lit my heart on fire when I first found The Skinner Brothers, back in July last year. It remains a firm favourite, and I know I'm very much not alone on that score. It's a fan favourite, and for good reason!

Before we settle in for story time, go watch the video if you haven't already. Hell, go watch it again even if you've already heard it a thousand times - it never gets old!

With the release of So the Story Goes last Thursday, The Skinner Brothers are at a pivotal moment. Everyone who's been following this fabulous journey has been watching with delight as we witness this glorious moment where The SB are finally starting to gain the wider recognition that's so wholly deserve.

Mark of the Beast is a standout track from the Soul Boy IV album that's very well known and loved by the fanbase, and is an absolute blast when performed live. It's one of those songs you know everyone at a live show has been waiting to hear, and as soon as the first notes are heard, the crowd erupts with glee. So it feels very fitting that Mark of the Beast won the poll for this particular week.

Ok, let's get down and dirty with it. This song is an utter beast. I mean, it's right there in the name! And as we all know, Zac puts a lot of thought into his song titles.

Sorry Zac - you're never going to live that one down!

Jokes aside, this really is a beast of a song. It's a song with fire, fury and a killer bass line, similar in many ways to a number of others on the album. Soul Boy IV is the album that marks the period in time where Zac was truly fed up with the industry and really began to experiment with his sound. That righteous, punky anger really shines through on a lot of these songs, Mark of the Beast included.

The opening notes (which I love, so unique!) contain a mere hint at what's to come and we're quickly rid of any notion that this is anything but music that's designed to be deliciously raucous. Zac roars in on guitar just as those first lyrics leave his lips, and from that moment on we know we're in for something great. It's punchy, it's fun, it's raw, and most of all it's unique.

"I've got something in my head that's a bad thought
Every breath that I take makes me want more"

This is an absolutely genius way to describe how anger feels. Or at least that's how I interpret these lyrics, especially within the context of the song overall. Personally speaking, while I'm not an overly angry person generally, in those very rare times that I do lose it, there's no stopping that wave of emotion.

"Every breath that I take makes me want more" speaks directly to that almost addictive nature of anger. It takes a hold of you, and if you really lose it, it's difficult to step away from that wave. It feeds on itself, urging you to remain fixed in that state.

Sadly I have no sound effects, but that line gets a definite round of applause from me!

"Motherfucker why you smilin'?
Nah, you don't want violence"

These lines from the chorus are when you know we're really in seeing red and ready for business territory. As my Dad would put it, "them's fighting words".

You know those times in life when you look back on arguments you've had, wishing you'd said this or that thing? Zac is your man - he has so many fantastic lines that could be used in such circumstances, and this feels like one of them. You know, if you're in the mood to be a bit Jokeresque.

Not that I condone violence, kids, but despite what feels like growing efforts, they can't police our thoughts just yet. There's nothing wrong with angry thoughts, they can even be pretty therapeutic.

Which brings me nicely onto the theme of angry songs as therapy. I know, I've talked about music as therapy before, but this is more specific so indulge me!

I don't know about you, but as mentioned previously, it's very rare that I let anger show. Songs like Mark of the Beast are completely therapeutic for me. You can just let that bullish wave of emotion ripple through every fibre of your being and let it take hold of you for a few minutes. I completely lose myself in songs like this, especially if I dance along to it.

If freedom had a feeling, for me it would be similar to this. My anxious brain rarely feels free, but music is one place where I can lose all mental constraints and just enjoy the moment and the journey. I'm always left feeling as though a weight has been lifted, mentally and physically. This may well explain my decades long love of thrash metal too.

"Fuck off! I'm the hardest in the UK scene
Mask on my face when I reached my peak
Déjà vu I got a tune a week
Up all night man, I'm a fucking beast"

What a chorus - so gloriously and unapologetically confident and defiant. It has attitude in spades, which as listeners we're only too eager to fill our buckets with, instilling us with confidence merely by being witness to its sound. This isn't misplaced confidence either. At this point in his career, Zac had been around the block a time or two and was really finding his feet. It's almost as if the beast in him had thus far been at least partially constrained by the limitations of industry, but now the beast is finally free and raging. We worship at the feet of that beast, for it is gloriously inspirational and freeing (too much? Nah.).

The line "Mask on my face when I reached my peak" turns out to be a prophetic one. Zac mentioned quite recently (on a Facebook post if memory serves) something about having written it before he started wearing a mask. Read into that what you will, but I'm taking it to mean that not only is Zac a beast, he's a beast with psychic powers. The gamer in me now wants to play this character in Baldur's Gate 3.

"Up all night man, I'm a fucking beast!" This line is an instant classic and is quoted often by fans. It's not a lie either - Zac makes no secret of the fact that he keeps odd hours and frequently writes music through the night. I often keep pretty odd hours myself, but I'm disappointed to tell you that there's not much in the way of beast going on. Maybe in another lifetime I'm a songwriting animal, but not this one (I'm playing a tiny violin for myself now).

Let's not forget Hen$haw's contribution either. Mark of the Beast is one of three songs they've collaborated with - a good sign that they work supremely well together. This is also however, where I feel I'm letting the side down, as I'll admit that I struggle to catch a lot of the lyrics in their entirety so I'm hesitant to offer up an interpretation. Which is a shame, as I'm a fan of his music and know that he's pretty good with words.

That aside, as ever you can tell that Zac is very good at choosing other artists who add value to a song while also fitting in seamlessly into the broader feel of it, even if they have contrasting styles. Hen$haw is obviously a rap / hip-hop artist. I'm also woefully uneducated about a lot of rap sub-genres, but Google mentions Drill alongside his name. What can I say? This is young people's music and I'm old, but I do know that I like what I hear!

To make up for my inadequacies, allow me to introduce you to a couple of his songs that I love and think you might, too - Nobody and Wicked.

Overall, the general vibe of Mark of the Beast is heavily rooted in street culture, and that also happens to be a speciality of Hen$haw, so he fits like a glove and complements the sound supremely well.

I think that about wraps this one up!

I could no doubt find more things to ramble about, but if you've made it this far my unprofessional ramblings have probably bored you enough. You're welcome! I look forward to boring you further in the next one.

Mark of the Beast is part of the album Soul Boy IV, which you can buy from Bandcamp by clicking the button below. Alternatively, if you're really lucky you might still be able to snag a vinyl copy from the merch store.

Buy the album on Bandcamp