This week’s All Axess ‘Amped’ band of the week is metal band Skeletonwitch. You can listen to their song ‘Reduced To The Failure Of Prayer,’ from their upcoming album ‘Forever Abomination’ below.
Hailing from Athens, Ohio-based, Skeletonwitch formed in 2003. The bands current lineup consists of vocalist Chance Garnette, guitarist and chief songwriter Nate Garnette, lead guitarist Scott Hedrick, bassist Evan Linger and drummer Dustin Boltjes.
While there is little doubt, Skeletonwitch are metal, deciphering exactly what sub-genre of metal they belong in is no easy task. “Skeletonwitch has been called every name in the f@#$ing book: death metal, black metal, thrash metal, speed metal, heavy metal, epic viking blackened thrash ‘n’ roll, and so on. It seems the only description everyone can agree on is ‘metal,’” says guitarist Scott Hedrick, “and that suits us just fine.”
In 2005 Skeletonwitch self-released their debut album, ‘At One With the Shadows,’ but it wasn’t until their 06 EP, ‘Worship the Witch’ that the band started making headway on the scene. In 2007, they caught the attention of Prosthetic Records, who signed them, and in the same year released, ‘Beyond the Permafrost,’ which reached the top 10 of CMJ’s Loud Rock Chart, and found its way into the Revolver, Decibel, and Pitchfork ‘Best Of’ list. Since then, Skeletonwitch has gone from strength to strength; their 09 record ‘Breathing the Fire, got to #151 on the Billboard Top 200, and their reputation as a killer live band, has seen the bands fan base grow steadily in numbers.
Skeletonwitch’s next full-length offering ‘Forever Abomination’ hits stores early next week. Hedrick says that it’s their best yet. “Everyone stepped up on this album and really pushed themselves. We’ve created something much larger than the sum of its parts. We’ve never been more proud of our work, and that’s how it should be. We wouldn’t release ‘Forever Abomination’ if we didn’t feel that way.”
Make sure you check out the Skeletonwitch: