SKELETONWITCH released their second full studio album with Prosthetic Records, Breathing the Fire, on October 13, 2009. I could not resist the Metal temptation and need of picking up this new CD on my visit to f.y.e. today. As I stood there staring at the hellish and downright evil artwork on the front cover of Breathing the Fire, it dawned on me… the Metal wait is over for this new Skeletonwitch. Yeah, very often enough I want my Metal pretty damned fast and extreme in every musical facet. All twelve songs on this album are extremely worthy, I can’t point out any skip overs whatsoever. Skeletonwitch does not fall short of Extreme Metal – every song on Breathing the Fire is blended with the very best of several Metal genres.
Skeletonwitch brings forth the Thrash Metal attack combined with Old School Speed Metal, adding Death Metal and Black Metal influences just for great Metal measure. With all of these incredible Metal genres explored here, Skeletonwitch is a Metal band that I cannot pigeonhole into one genre. That is fine with me, I am sure Skeletonwitch could care in the least as well… Metal is… Metal. Breathing the Fire is one incredible Metal album to look back upon for 2009, it is like the late season, supercharged and extreme power blast of Metal Music that has set my Metal world ablaze. I always say, that with Metal bands like this, it makes me feel confident knowing that the flag for Metal will be waving high for years to come. Chance Garnette on lead vocals is as mean and talented as I could hope for – his dual Death Metal growls and Black Metal screams are what this music is about. Anyone familiar with Extreme Metal should agree, that this style of Metal was not meant for crooning out the ballads. Chance Garnette gets my Metal horns with thunderous praise. In my Metal opinion, Skeletonwitch can play, it’s not the easiest task to make an album of this Metal genre sound like a standout.
The guitar leads, dual leads and solos have a melodic, Old School – Speed Metal appeal, while never taking away from the overall dark mood of any of the songs. The rhythm section holds everything together like a vice and these songs grip my Metal psyche with pure Metal domination. I once read a professionally paid Rock critic write – melodic and heavy do not coexist… uh, they do. The Metal proof is in actually listening to Skeletonwitch and Breathing the Fire… the rest is Extreme and at times, melodic Metal candy for your ears. To extract each song and dissect it here would be nonsense, the overall themes to know are that these songs are about death and submitting to evil. ‘Nuff said. Ah, Metal. I will state, Blinding Black Rage is as horrific, evil and nightmarish of a song lyrically that I have ever heard. Ah, Metal… Extreme Metal, I love this stuff. This is the new generation of Extreme Metal, take it or leave it… I’m taking it. If you are looking for the current Metal that is happening now, take my advice and give Skeletonwitch – Breathing the Fire a thorough listen… it served me right.
Skeletonwitch as they appear on Breathing the Fire:
Nate “N8 Feet Under” Garnette – guitars
Chance Garnette – lead vocals
Derrick “Mullet Chad” Nau – drums
Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick – guitars
Evan “Loosh” Linger – bass
Track Listing For Breathing the Fire:
Submit to the Suffering
Longing for Domination
Where the Light has Failed
Released from the Catacombs
Stand Fight and Die
The Despoiler of Human Life
Crushed Beyond Dust
Blinding Black Rage
Gorge Upon My Soul
Repulsive Salvation
Strangled by Unseen Hands
… And into the Flame
I have added a new band to my Black Metal favorites list, they are Abigail Williams. Abigail Williams is void of having the heavy grooves of Satyricon’s superior recent releases, void of having the progressiveness of the incredible Enslaved. What Abigail Williams does offer up musically, is the extreme and brutal sounds of Black Metal. Yes, the very, very, heavy side of Black Metal. The layering of music is similar to what Cradle of Filth has accomplished with their infamous albums, minus any over exaggeration of melody. O.K., I have pointed out where Abigail Williams lines up musically, compared to their Black Metal counterparts, (or some of them anyway). On “In The Shadow Of A Thousand Suns”, (released on October 28, 2008 – candlelight records), Sorceron on lead vocals is alarmingly convincing, while the entire band plays very tight, giving every indication musically, that they know these are ten solid songs.
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