Full Album Stream: Skeletonwitch: Serpents Unleashed – new album

Do listen to 'Serpents Unleashed' because “the bass agility and accessibility on this record propels the ‘Serpents Unleashed’ listening experience well beyond the expected levels of awesome” and because “thrashy, rhythmic [guitar] attacks butt up against adventurous leads and solos, ascending to breathless heights and diving into hellish crevasses befitting the album art that has adorned the last couple records”, but also because “drums match fierce tempos with high-intensity groove workouts, providing all the right emphases and accents”, and especially because “Chance Garnette screams down from the iciest peaks like a corpse-painted Scandinavian snow demon, as if somehow a guy from Ohio in a mostly un-black metal band could ever hate human civilization as completely as all that”. Thus spoke Excretakano (and he had much more to say here). And he should be trusted. Because he writes for MetalSucks. Besides, everybody loves SKELETONWITCH, hence everybody should relish the chance to listen to their fifth full-length before its release on October the 29th, 2013. Issued through Prosthetic Records, ‘Serpents Unleashed’ was recorded at GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts with Kurt Ballou, and its art created by BARONESS' John Baizley. Available as CD, MP3, LP and cassette, get your own ‘Serpents Unleashed’ from here (SKELETONWITCH official store), from Amazon/Amazon MP3, from BandCamp here or via iTunes:

Formed in 2003 in Athens, Ohio, SKELETONWITCH are said to draw inspiration from Bay Area thrash and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, from death metal and black metal, as well as from Viking metal. Thus richly inspired, they self-released their debut full-length, ‘At One With The Shadows’, in 2004, followed by self-released EP ‘Worship The Witch’ in 2006, which brought about the contract with Prosthetic Records. SKELETONWITCH's debut for the label, 2007's ‘Beyond The Permafrost’, landed on many of 2007's “best of” lists including Revolver's, Decibel's, and Pitchfork's:

“The sheer ferocity and white-knuckled velocity of swords-and-sorcery thrash anthems like ‘Upon Wings Of Black’, ‘Sacrifice For The Slaughtergod’, and ‘Fire From The Sky’ will have those who stick around crying out for Mommy! If not that, then the fearsome vocals of Chance Garnette should do the trick… Make no mistake, however, it’s really twin guitar terrors Nate Garnette and Scott Hedrick who captain SKELETONWITCH's Man o' War, both dominating and defining the band's high-energy assault with positively carnivorous riffs, tightly intertwined with frenzied lead licks,” [was excited Eduardo Rivadavia, AllMusic – more here:]

But their best was yet to come. In 2009, the five gnarly longhairs showed no mercy and took no prisoners on ‘Breathing The Fire’, which debuted at number 151 on the Billboard Top 200. The album was produced by the legendary producer Jack Endino, and PIG DESTROYER's Scott Hull was enlisted to handle mastering duties:

“ ‘Breathing The Fire’,” [wrote Phil Freeman, AllMusic] “is a drive-around-with-the-windows-down thrash/speed metal album with occasional dips into black metal (but not enough of them to annoy listeners who don’t like that genre) and tons of melodic, anthemic riffs and hooks. All that’s really changed between SKELETONWITCH's debut for the Prosthetic label, 2007's ‘Beyond The Permafrost, and their 2009 follow-up is that they’re - if possible -  even more themselves,” [more here:]

‘Forever Abomination’, unleashed upon this sorry world in 2011, was recorded (or, as put by the band: “given a kick in the ass”) with producer Matt Hyde. The first SKELETONWITCH album to feature drummer Dustin (“Dustin is a fucking animal!”) Boltjes was described as a “musical smash-and-grab that bursts into your place unannounced, tears the place up a bit, and then leaves just as quickly, leaving you bewilderedly wondering where your watch and television ran off to” by Gregory Heaney, AllMusic (more here):

“We live and breathe this shit!” [insisted guitarist Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick] “We tour as much as humanly possible, and when we’re home we write. There’s technically no such thing as “time off” when you’re in the WITCH:”

SKELETONWITCH features: Chance Garnette – vocals, Nate “N8 Feet Under” Garnette – guitar, Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick – guitar Evan “Loosh” Linger – bass and Dustin Boltjes – drums