Band: Skeletonwitch
Album: Forever Abomination
Genre: Blackened Thrash Metal/Death Metal
Buy: iTunes/Official Store
Rating: 4.5/5
Tracklisting:
1. This Horrifying Force (the Desire To Kill) (4:10)
2. Reduced To The Failure Of Prayer (2:52)
3. Of Ash And Torment (2:55)
4. Choke Beyond Betrayal (2:36)
5. Erased And Forgotten (2:24)
6. The Infernal Resurrection (2:52)
7. Rejoice In Misery (2:47)
8. Cleaver Of Souls (3:49)
9. Shredding Sacred Flesh (2:34)
10. Sink Beneath Insanity (2:55)
11. My Skin Of Deceit (2:12)
Total Time: 32:02
Good new age thrash bands are hard to come by these days as being a slowly dying genre (unfortunately) but Skeletonwitch are a breath of fresh air and I thank bands like this among several others for keeping thrash alive. Since the band formed in 2003 they have always been the underdogs as far as new age thrash tetal goes and their new CD "Forever Abomination" will be their key to success. I am personally very impressed with the classic thrash riffs, vocals that remind me of several older black metal bands (where the "blackened thrash" comes from), amazing song structure, catchy hooks and with the addition of their new drummer Dustin Boltjes; Skeletonwitch will move their way up into modern thrash fame alongside other bands such as Warbringer, Havok and Evile.
Review:
I haven't been too fond of this band up until recently when they opened for Arch Enemy and Devildriver in NYC. A few days later to my luck their CD was put up online so I got it and listened to it all the way through. To say the least I am thoroughly impressed. The production on the album is about the same from their 2009 CD "Breathing The Fire" only with the addition of new drummer Dustin Boltjes adding his own brand of drumming on Forever Abomination. The vocals are very raw on this CD which is my personal preference but they do take getting used to for newcomers to this band. Chance Garnett delivers a relentless assault of high shrieking and low growling throughout as his brother Nate Garnett and 2nd guitarist Scott Hedrick deliver fast catchy classic thrash riffs (see Of Ash And Torment, Rejoice In Misery and My Skin Of Deceit for merely an example). A lot of the songs sound different which is a good thing as far as thrash goes since a lot of thrash riffs sound the same/recycled. All in all Forever Abomination is a force to be reckoned with. Be sure to pick up the record when it officially gets released on 10/11!! I know I will!
Key Tracks:
1. This Horrifying Force (The Desire To Kill): This is the opener for the album and my personal favorite. Starting off with a slow intro and picking up at :35 where Chance and the rest of the band come in this track gives you exactly what to expect from the album. This song has everything both death metal fans and thrash fans alike will love. The verses, bridge and everything about this song all falls together perfectly.
3. Of Ash And Torment: This track opens with a classic thrash riff and goes right into a short solo and back to the riff and at :32 the tempo change of the song which changes several times throughout the song again shows their talent as musicians and progression from their last album. This is my personal favorite track on the album as well as the fastest as well.
Final Thoughts:
If your looking for a new metal band that will quickly become your favorite all you will need is Skeletonwitch. This has everything that you and I both look for in this type of music. Between the fast riffs, solos, crushing vocals, great drumming and song structure I'm not even sure what my favorite would be. 20 years from now this will go down as one of the classic albums just as other bands such as Slayer, Anthrax and more have became legends so will Skeletonwitch in due time. Worship the 'WITCH!
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