Artist: Skeletonwitch
Album: Forever Abomination

Fuck. Yes. After a handful of albums developing a synthesis of old school thrash, modern black metal and dashes of rock and roll, Skeletonwitch unquestionably come into their own on Forever Abomination. The album is an electrifying consolidation of influences, gratefully nodding to the past as they keep their eyes solidly on the future. Most importantly, these songs rock! Nate Garnette is a fucking riff monster, churning out songs as catchy as they are unwaveringly ferocious, with the rest of the band rising to the challenge. New drummer Dustin Boltjes pushes the band to a new level of metallic heaviness, the band delivering their most blisteringly focused effort to date. Forever Abomination is firmly rooted in the metal world, one of the most creatively stifling genres out there. However, Skeletonwitch manage a uniquely fresh take on the genre and for the first time get a production job to match the intensity, courtesy of Matt Hyde. There isn’t a weak moment on the album. Forever Abomination is as much a statement as it is a cohesive set of songs. This is the sound of a band hungry for the next level, significantly upping their talents and strengths to get there. A definite contender for, if not the, metal album of the year. Skeletonwitch has arrived. (Prosthetic)