Skeletonwitch- Forever Abomination

Forever Abomination is the new album, released today, October 11,2011, from the Ohio metal band Skeletonwitch.  Most of the bands I listen to are relatively unknowns when mentioned in conversation, however for those that are keen on the metal scene, these bands are household names.

Skeletonwitch offers a mixture in the way they present their sound.  You really can’t define them as any one subgenre within the heavy metal universe.  While not as varying in sound as say a band like Between the Buried and Me, they do change things up quite a bit, from track to track and even between chorus’ within each track.  The majority of Skeletonwitch’s songs are high tempo.  They typically combine an in your face guitar style with a seemingly ever-present drumbeat.  But make no bones about it, if you’re into this band, you are there for the raspy, nether worldly sounding vocals of Chance Garnette.

The bands latest release, Forever Abomination, picks up where breathing The Fire, the 2009 release, left off.  They’ve changed things up a bit for the new record though.  For starters Derrick Nau, drums, is out and Dustin Boltjes is in.  While darkened themes are still prevelant throughout the majority of the songs here, the album is quite a bit more melodic when compared to previous releases. For me, anytime a band can increase melody, it’s a plus, that is if they are able to retain that in your face attacking style of guitars, and of course the trademarked vocals.  Skeletonwitch is able to combine the heavy of heavy rifts with the rhythmic melodies that put a bit of sway into the songs, all the while showcasing Chance’s vocal prowess.  In fact, I might even go so far, as I’ve only listened to the album about four times now, that these melodic elements seem to coincide perfectly with Chance’s singing, almost adding a bit of “flow” to his words. 

Many metal bands carry stigmas around with them.  Often they’re categorized as black, or death or whatnot, and while themes and lyrical content can be used in many instances to advance these stereotypes, I have to say that if you go around only listening to songs that are positive in nature, or each member of a group is completely vetted out to what you, or others for that matter, deem acceptable, well then you’ll be drastically reducing the selection of music you have to choose from.  This dilemma, if you choose to call it as such, is ever more prevalent in the world of metal, especially if you’re dealing with groups who may not be on the mainstream level yet. 

Why is this? 

Well I think a number of factors might be at play here.  First I’d say packaging, web-site design and the like have a great influencing factor.  Many metal groups include pictures of what most would consider grotesque and just uncomfortable to look at.  Then you have the way many of the vocals sound, the most popular styles being the guttural, screeching and ghastly.  These styles don’t sit too well with the mainstream music listener.  You’ll often hear why do they make themselves sound like that?  Or most often you’ll hear a blanket statement like “I can’t understand a word they’re saying.”  Finally I would say lyrical content, and overall themes tow the line a bit, moving all across the board, typically settling on themes of death, destruction, betrayal and evil. 

So how could I listen to groups like this?

My answer to this question is so easy for me.  I don’t pay any attention to what other people say.  I don’t care about pictures or images, and if I do, instead of looking at the image as a representation of something ugly or evil, I look at the artistic qualities needed to compose such images.  The vocals, at first I have to admit, were tough to understand in many cases.  But after a while you get used to them and start appreciating how any of the various styles can fit in with, and even accentuate it’s accompanying instrumentation.  And finally, as far as themes and lyrical content go, I write a lot of poetry and have a very big imagination, so I welcome the creative imagery. I love metaphors, and if you listen to metal, you’ll get to use your imagination in a variety of ways, but none so important as sorting out the vastness of metaphors used throughout a bands work.

Skeletonwitch is a great band in my opinion.  They get to the point fast and fiercely.  They’ve added a greater depth of melody to their songs and are ripe with metaphor.  If you like their earlier releases you’ll love Forever Abomination.  If you like metal in general, you should seriously give this album, and their other 3 albums and EP’s as well, some serious consideration.  Just a brief sampling on Itunes or any other site that lets you listen to music will, I feel, give you enough of a sample-set to get a good idea if this band would be something you’d be into.

Forever Abomination (32 minutes)

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 Upon 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

Every track on the album is really good, but a few highlights:

This Horrifying Force

Offers a good dose of the melodic line throughout.  It offers a killer lead-intro/buildup, which not only sets the tone for this song, but for the entire album. It’s easily my favorite track

Erased and Forgotten

More in your face, but a terrific rift throughout the central part of the track, highlighted by some great drumming underneath.

The Infernal Resurrection

Wonderfully catchy track that just never stops keeping the groove going.  The vocals are perfectly in sync with the instrumentation throughout the entire track.  Perhaps the best Skeletonwitch song period, including all previous releases.

My Skin of Deceit

A great last track, as it incorporates much of what the rest of the album offers, yet a tad bit on the heavier side, just to remind everyone what this band is all about.

After you pick the album up let me know what you think, I’d love to see those in agreement with my own viewpoint, as well as those with varying opinions.

Mastodon-The Hunter

Mastodon, Atlanta’s gift to the world of Heavy Metal, released their fifth album, The Hunter, on September 27^th.  The band’s first 3 releases, 2002’s Remission, 2004’s Leviathan and 2006’s Blood Mountain were primarily concept driven, where each album told a story when all tracks were put together.

Concept albums are not unique, and while there were some extremely popular ones, The Who’s Tommy and Rush’s 2112 instantly come to mind, for me anyhow, none of the previous conceptually stylized albums told their stories as adeptly as Mastodon did on theirs. 

The band saw a pretty hefty spike in regards to attendance for their live gigs.  Pretty soon they saw their music gaining more and more airplay, in the USA and around the globe.  They began headlining, not arenas but stadium shows.  They got huge, winning the hearts of metal-heads the world over with their intense, relatively unique brand of Metal.  

As with any band, Metal especially, the die-hards and those who rode out the early years with their band, might have been a bit apprehensive when word came out that their, at the time, new release would be deviating away from what the band had put down on those first three records.  The dread “Sell-Out” word was trickling through some corners of the music listening population, even before a single track had been heard.  People, for the most part don’t like change, often coming from the mindset of “If it isn’t broke why fix it” mentality.  People are just nervous when something they enjoy takes another direction, because, let’s face it, some won’t like the road that’s taken or what the near future might have to offer them.  Music is no different, perhaps the apprehension regarding change is even magnified moreover, as musicians in general, to the loyal and die-hard fans out there, represent periods of their lives, for good and bad, becoming a genuine part of how they identify themselves.  So obviously, if you alter this dynamic, it’s easy to see how unrest could stir through a fan base. 

Yet, when looking at change through the eyes of the dedicate musician(s), you have to appreciate those that are willing to, and have the guts to try something different.  You have to respect and applaud those that act progressively, trying to make themselves the best they can be as far as their position within their niche.  Mastodon was no different, and while their 2009 release Crack The Skye was highly anticipated, there certainly were those out there that were a bit nervous as to what they would find.  Crack The Skye turned record numbers for the band, in terms of sales, as well as how their audience expanded tremendously.  The record gained praise from virtually everyone and soon any apprehension that was out there was soon gone and forgotten, as if never existed in the first place.

The album was so good that many fans and critics alike wondered how the band could possibly put out a follow up record and not risk the obvious comparison’s that would undoubtedly be raised.  There was much talk about how fans would have to temper their expectations, as no one really knew what would be released.  Would it be a return to their earlier sound, would it be concept driven, or would it be on par with Crack The Skye?   However, although much of this was most likely present in the minds of their fans, the success of Crack The Skye provided a base for trust.  People weren’t worried about being disappointed, as the band had already provided concrete proof that they can interchange their style however they saw fit and it wouldn’t matter, that the tracks delivered would be good.  Fans though also understood just how good Crack The Skye was/is and seemed to be all right with knowing that it would be tough for Mastodon, or any band for that matter, to follow up such a gem with another effort possessing the same type of WOW factor.  So I’d have to say, with all those I’ve spoken with prior to The Hunter’s release, the vast majority were highly anticipating the record, and were at ease knowing that even if this record isn’t half of what Crack The Skye turned out to be, it would still be one heck of an album.

On September 27^th, The Hunter was released, and despite having had a small sampling of the album, through internet sites and/or on SiriusXM liquid metal, I have to believe that nobody knew what they were going to find when they played this new release for the first time.

Personally, I couldn’t find a flaw; every song was both mesmerizing and at times mind-blowing.  Mastodon had never put a record out like The Hunter before.  I dare say it’s even better than Crack The Skye, as after a hundred or so listens, not exaggerating either, the album not only maintains that initially WOW, it keeps getting better with each go-round.

While not as heavy as their earlier releases, there’s a lot more groove, a lot more rock and a tightness we hadn’t heard before.  It truly is a masterpiece.

The Hunter opens up with Black Tongue, one of those tracks that many had a chance to listen to prior to the release.  The track is a perfect song to kick the new album off with, rhythmically balanced and entrancing, with a chorus of “You killed the light/ You took the Diamond…” the listener just new that the remaining 12 tracks would be something special.  The next song is the track that had been widely been playing pre-release, Curl Of The Burl, perhaps the best track on the album, jamming and rocking with some killer vocals, with rhythm and pace a track that really gets you going.  Blasteroid provides some of that older, hazy type of sound and a bit of vocal shifts throughout the track.  Stargasm takes us somewhat back to Leviathan, yet despite the similarities, one can easily feel Stargasm’s catchiness and the other differences that also appear. Octopus Has No Friends, is a bit of a mix of styles, but sticks to a basic ethereal-like nature that becomes its spine. 

Other highlights include the haunting title track, the slow and melodic anthem Creature Lives, the heaviest song Spectrelight, the mesmerizing mix that is Bedazzled Fingernails and The Sparrow, which takes the listener on a primarily instrumental journey where altering movements are eclipsed only by the haunting, distanced vocals that appear from time to time over the music.  The songs I didn’t highlight are also very, very good, but are very similar to many of the qualities I’ve highlighted in these other tracks, particularly Black Tongue and Curl of the Burl. 

Complete Track Listing:

1.      Black Tongue                         3:27

2.      Curl of the Burl                      3:40

3.      Blasteroid                              2:36

4.      Stargasm                               4:40

5.      Octopus Has No Friends            3:49

6.      All the Heavy Lifting                 4:31

7.      The Hunter                              5:18

8.      Dry Bone Valley                       4:00

9.      Thickening                              4:31

10.    Creature Lives                         4:41

11.    Spectrelight                            3:10

12.    Bedazzled Fingernails               3:08

13.    The Sparrow                           5:31

The Hunter combines the worlds of Metal with a variety of influences, creating a sound completely its own.  If you enjoyed any of Mastodon’s previous releases, especially Crack The Skye, you’ll love this album.  If you aren’t necessarily into the harder stuff out their, but still appreciate an album with a little power yet a whole lot of rhythmic flow, I think you’ll appreciate what The Hunter has to offer.  As I said after listening to Crack The Skye again and again, I’ll say it one more time, yet this time in regards to The Hunter, “ There’s no way Mastodon can ever come close to repeating this kind of perfection, it’s just not realistic.”  And with that said, I’m now, fully expecting to repeat that sentence yet again after Mastodon releases their 6^th album.