Skeletonwitch is one of my favorite bands of the moment, so it was without any hesitation that I went out to the nearest music store to pick up their latest album last week. The band has simply gotten better with each new release. This one was not any different.At one point, the band was often thrown in to the hipster metal crowd for some stupid reason. They never really fit in, but I suppose it had something to do with the fact that they had the John Baisley album cover like Baroness and Mastodon and all those groups. Sonically of course Skeletonwitch had little to nothing to do with those groups.
Skeletonwitch's brand of manic blackened thrash has improved on each album. This time they sound even more intense and furious than ever. I was personally surprised on the first listen by the Immortal-esque songwriting, particularly on the first song. The vocals always resembled Norwegian black metal vocals, but that tendency was kicked up significantly on this release.
The only problem here is the same problem that Skeletonwitch has always had. A lot of their songs tend to run together and some seem a little incomplete. Nevertheless, the band continues to impress.
Skeletonwitch keeps getting better. They are easily one of the better bands going today and this album shows why.
The hipster-metal image may just be because they grew out of a hipster music scene, because as you say there is no trace of it in their sound.
ReplyDeleteI still haven't picked up their newest album yet, but I did hear a little material from it live.
Skeletonwitch as hipsters is a laughable concept. I'm really looking forward to hearing this album (I think I'll check it out tomorrow).
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