 Skeletonwitch have always been a party band, even if their cover art and song titles tells you otherwise. My first taste of the quintet came in 2006 via their brief, self-released Worship the Witch EP. I didn't know much about the Athens, Ohio, group but enjoyed their mix of classic Bay Area thrash and Norwegian-style black metal-- it came off like Cliff Burton-era Metallica jamming with Immortal. The scruffy production, which matched the era, cemented the mix. What really hooked me, though, were the scorching dual NWOBHM lead guitars-- busy, catchy, and worthy of any number of bad Midwestern Viking jokes. As it happens sometimes, that first taste-- when they were still basically unknown-- was my favorite.
Since then, they've played Ozzfest (and Danzig's Blackest of the Black tour), gone through a couple of drummers and bassists, shown up on Metal Swim, tightened their sound, and released three records for the Los Angeles label Prosthetic. All of these albums were good, but nothing struck a chord like Worship the Witch. That is, until this new one, the Matt Hyde-produced Forever Abomination. It's their first album with heavy-hitting drummer Dustin Boltjes, but the core that drew me to the group early on is still intact-- guitarist Scott Hedrick, guitarist Nate Garnette, and Nate's death-growling brother, vocalist Chance Garnette. Under the watchful eye (and in the sweet looking, beer-soaked pool) of Hyde, a Grammy winner who's also worked with Slayer, Hatebreed, No Doubt, Porno For Pyros, and Sum 41, among others, they've managed to regain their early atmospheric density, only on a larger, more stadium-ready scale. It's darker and heavier than the last three, offering an icy, deep ambiance that went missing on the too cleanly layered, brittle post-Worship offerings. Really, Forever is the rare example of a big-name producer actually helping a metal band progress. (Jack Endindo's dialed-back approach didn't quite click with me on 2009's Breathing the Fire.)
The 11-song collection opens with a few seconds of pretty acoustic guitars before launching into the rest of "This Horrifying Force (The Desire to Kill)", a proper breakneck Skeletonwitch anthem. That quiet moment's brief, but the transition gives a good idea of the spaciousness-- you'll find a deeper bass sound, sturdier drums, more vibrant guitars. They also place the vocals a bit lower in the mix, which works, because in the end, it's those guitars that keep pulling you closer: the hooks on opener "Cleaver of Soul"; the lighter-lifting notation of "Rejoice in Misery" and "The Infernal Resurrection"; the forward-driving trade-offs on "Sink Beneath Insanity"; the huge leads on "Of Ash and Torment" that manage to be technical, anthemic, and memorable. Outside Amon Amarth, I can't think of another band that does a better job translating classic-leaning metal riffs into sugar-coated pop hooks without sacrificing heaviness or turning a blind eye to the band patches on their jean jackets....full text |
| The fourth studio effort from Ohio’s Skeletonwitch has the same flaw as their previous releases—at times one can feels like they’re listening to the same song over and over. Fortunately, that song is a raging badass thrash attack. Opener “The Horrifying Force” explodes into being with Hetfieldian skill, while the solos on “Of Ash And Torment” and “Cleaver Of Souls” are sure to bring quicksilver tears to any metalhead’s eyes. Packed with epic melodies, searing solos, and medieval horror imagery, Forever Abomination totally rocks, aided by (finally for these guys!) a perfect production sound. CHRIS KROVATIN...full text |
| While black metal first gained worldwide attention in the 90’s for its association with church burnings and murder, it was the classic albums of Satyricon, Dissection, Emperor, Dimmu Borgir, and Cradle of Filth that legitimized the genre as a true force in the world of metal and not a passing fad of devil worshippers. In the years since however, many of the aforementioned bands have either ceased to exist or changed their sound so much that they can sometimes be hardly recognized as the bands they were at the genre’s height. But Skeletonwitch, from Akron Ohio, have steadily risen from the underground with a throwback sound to black metal’s infancy infused with classic 80’s thrash. On their latest album “Forever Abomination” (Prosthetic Records 10/11/2011), Skeletonwitch have not only topped their previous albums, they have released one of the best extreme metal albums in years....full text |
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