Album Review: Serpents Unleashed by Skeletonwitch

Since its #thrashthursday, it only feels right to review something thrashy. Skeletonwitch has been around since 2003 and this is their forth official release. They have a self produced album, but I can't get my hands on it. I do have everything else they have released though. What really struck me while listening to their first album Beyond the Permafrost was the mix of black metal vocals and thrash roots. A lot of people have copied that sound, but in 2007 when I heard Upon Wings of Black, I was instantly hooked.

Skeletonwitch has kept on getting tighter as a group and have not sacrificed their sound in the slightest bit. They are as fast and brutal as they always been. Serpents Unleashed opens with the title track blitzes through 29 minutes of pure metal. This is also very characteristic of Skeletonwitch. Their songs aren't very long, but they are to the point. They are here to thrash, and thrash they do.

Born of Light that Does Not Shine opens with blistering blast beats and ends with a wicked black metal riff that is haunting and embraces the dark tone of this album. My favorite song lyrically is This Evil Embrace. The chorus is the following:

Stare upon death in these eyes
Wretched, furthest from the light
Moving with poisonous steps
My demon will harvest your flesh

Skeletonwitch doesn't hold back in the slightest, What surprised me the most was the last track More Cruel than Weak. It's definitely the longest ending up at four minutes and nineteen seconds. It starts with an intro riff which is rare for Skeletonwitch. The riffage they break out at 2:28 is harmonized metal guitar at its finest.

I can't wait to see them in a couple of weeks. They play at Mojoe's in Joliet, IL on Monday, November 25th with the Black Dahlia Murder. Get your tickets here.

I give Serpents Unleashed by Skeletonwitch 5 out of 5 Burning Lariats.

Album cover provided by amazon.com.