Skeletonwitch
Breathing The Fire

Today I will review something experimental but still within the realm of thrash metal. The album in question is the new release by the fascinating and controversial band Skeletonwitch: "Breathing the Fire".                    

An album that one either likes or dislikes, a unique style of its kind, a very successful fusion of thrash and black metal elements. A pinch of modernity is also present but it takes nothing away (if anything, it is one of those few cases where it adds something positive) to a really good album.

The sound base is that of powerful thrash with a vaguely melodic vein that makes listening enjoyable from the first to the last note; certainly, thrash outbursts and near blast-beat drumming are not missing, along with black metal atmospheres with sudden accelerations.

One of the most striking elements is Chance Garnette's voice, capable of moving from a crystal-clear (almost soft) scream to a powerful and cavernous growl, equipped with a noteworthy technique. The riffs are also "unusual," as in the first part of the songs, they are usually very fast and composed of simple but effective power chords (typical of black) then the trend shifts with complex and thrashy riffs, really captivating in all the songs. A highly tested rhythmic apparatus, a "accommodating" bass follows the guitars closely while Derrick Nau's drums, besides being excellently produced, constitute a very solid rhythmic foundation delighting our ears with continuous blast-beats. 

Very varied solos among them, ranging from very hardrock-oriented ones of the single "Repulsive Salvation" to the fiery ones of the early tracks of the album, particularly "Longing for Domination" and "Dispoiler of the Human Life".

A very homogeneous album from which, however, some truly remarkable tracks stand out like the aforementioned "Repulsive Salvation" dedicated to initially very fast rhythms and memorable riffs and sudden tempo changes to more cadenced sections and "Dispoiler of Human Life" perhaps the blackest of the album, with an audible bass and excellent guitar cutting, unexpected tempo changes, and equally unexpected vocal register shifts (again, from scream to growl).

In conclusion, an absolutely enjoyable album, thrashers should not expect to hear yet another thrash-band-soundalike (they might be disappointed), an album that must be listened to without prejudice and without trying to pigeonhole it into a specific genre even though the foundation is certainly thrash. I, being an uncompromising thrasher, fully appreciated it precisely for being an innovative and out-of-the-box album; a recommended listen for anyone who listens to metal and anyone who wants to experiment.