SKID ROW, “Subhuman Race” (<i> Atlantic</i> ) ***

At times on Skid Row’s first album in four years it seems as if only the force of will--and the concrete rhythm section--keeps the songs from flying apart at the seams. At other times, the band generates the same intensity with only half the decibels.

Sebastian Bach’s fierce vocals can turn on a dime, from bristling softness to nasty, sinewy rasping that swaggers with the groove. Counterbalancing Bach’s formidable pipes, guitarists Snake Sabo and Scott Hill churn out a relentless stream of raw, grinding, death-grip riffs and piquant solo work.

Stylistically, this isn’t much of a departure from the last album, “Slave to the Grind,” but it certainly packs as powerful a punch and delivers it with a clenched-teeth grin.

New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor) to four stars (excellent).