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Skeletonwitch - Breathing the Fire

Rating

RIYL

The Black Dahlia Murder
Toxic Holocaust
Arsis

Release Date

10/13/2009

Label

Prosthetic Records

Tracklist

1. Submit To The Suffering
2. Longing For Damnation
3. Where The Light Has Failed
4. Released From The Catacombs
5. Stand, Fight & Die
6. The Despoiler Of Human Life
7. Crushed Beyond Dust
8. Blinding Black Rage
9. Gorge Upon My Soul
10. Repulsive Salvation
11. Strangled By Unseen Hands
12. And Into The Flame

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Recent Ratings
Rick Gebhardt

Skeletonwitch is a tough act to pin down. While some view them as just another dime-a-dozen band putting their own twist on the recently popularized retro thrash sound (they’re not), others see them as a band blazing the way for modern thrash through the incorporation of NWOBHM, black metal and death metal (again, they’re not). So where does that leave the group on their newest outing, Breathing the Fire? Not surprisingly, somewhere right in the middle – enjoyable and somewhat memorable but in no way groundbreaking or classic.

Expect the typical metal-oriented lyrical content and song titles based on torture, blood and violence, as well as a wealth of classic metal-tinged solos and leads. The band has further embraced the thrashier elements of their sound since Beyond the Permafrost, a move likely spearheaded by the improvement of guitarists Nick Garnett and Scott Hedrick thanks to an impressively exhaustive tour schedule. Opener “Submit to the Suffering” sets a scorching pace that the band maintains throughout the majority of the album while vocalist Chance Garnett expels his usual mix of blackened shrieks and death metal growls.

As previously mentioned, Skeletonwitch takes a page from classic thrash (“Where the Light Has Failed,” "Crushed Beyond Dust”), melodic death metal (“Longing for Domination,” “Blinding Black Rage”), black metal (“Released from the Catacombs”) and modern metal (“Stand Fight and Die”). Despite their variety of influences, Skeletonwitch admirably manages to create a sound that is both recognizable and, in some cases, memorable. The main problem with the album is that, after a handful of listens, the majority of Breathing the Fire begins to run together due to the fairly consistent pacing of each song. Then again, thrash was never known for its innovation or variety.

Though Skeletonwitch aren’t breaking down any barriers in the metal world, they continue to release quality albums that manage to stand out despite the intense oversaturation of the modern thrash genre. It goes without saying that you’re probably better off listening to classic releases from the originators of thrash, or even Blood Tsunami if we’re talking about more recent outings, but Skeletonwitch are more than capable of holding your attention for 35 minutes or so. Trust me, with some of the other “thrash” albums being released these days, you could do a lot worse.

--Matt Murphy