This album starts out with “Fen Of Shadows”, and I love just how patient and grand this intro is. We have these lone, grand guitars that seem filled with sorrow but are also strangely elegant. But they of course quickly open up into this very aggressive and muscular verse. The first thing that really stands out to me is just how fantastic the production is here. Like, you can pick apart literally every instrumental, and they all sound brilliant. Now, this is the band’s first outing with new vocalist Adam Clemens. But here, he sounds absolutely vicious. His vocals are so cutting, but also are able to tune into that slightly melodic sound that Skeletonwitch has worked with in the past. This is literally everything I could have asked to hear from an intro. It’s explosive and gruesome, but it also has this very grandiose flair to it that I can’t help but feel like salutes the true greats of Black Metal. There are some really great Death Metal and Thrash passages as well, and overall this is just the sort of Journey of a tune that I am just so happy to hear. Hell, even the very sorrow-filled final 2-minute jam is stunning. On the other hand, “Where Paradise Fades” is a real rip-snorter of a Metal tune. It’s got the charisma of classic Iron Maiden tracks, with the technicality of Metallica in their prime. And all around, it’s awesome. I love the absolute out of control feeling to this one that seems like not only is this off the rails, it’s ripped the rails right off too. On the other hand, I’m not as nuts for Adam’s vocals here. Don’t get me wrong, they’re not bad. But at the end of the day, they seem a little more amateurish than what we were hearing on this album’s opener. Thankfully, the rest of the band continues to play with some serious charisma. Not to mention, I can’t remember the last time the band showed so much personality. If Adam’s vocals were a little more on point, this would be phenomenal. Overall, this album is pretty much the glorious rebirth I really wanted to hear. The band just sound so determined together that it’s scary. On “Temple of the Sun”, there are practically some MetalCore elements, but it’s classy. I love the dueling vocals here, and just how once again the band sound absolutely off the rails. And Adam here completely gets his striped back with his unbearably vicious performance. And I love how this all just seems so soaring and epic. But it continues to be some of the little details that keep me coming back, like those guitar solos and some of the playings during the verses. It’s all just so campy, but not to the point where I can’t take it seriously. And towards the end of the track, they end it all off with this highly melodic and truly memorable passage that’s just so catchy. On the other hand, “Devouring Radiant Light” once again starts off with this very somber, stripped down performance. Not only does it give us a minute to rest, but it also lets us take in just how skilled Skeletonwitch have become. Like, take this and compare it to the very scratchy and hectic early recordings. And yes, this one has some chugging guitars and almost some groove metal elements towards the beginning. But this track is just as muscular and aggressive. But no matter how intense this track gets, Skeletonwitch never leave behind that very somber, emotional base that this track started with, as it almost haunts the entire track. It’s still a metal track though, with these very abrasive and intense vocals and phenomenal guitars. I mean, the obvious thing to say is that I’ve never heard these guys so anthemic and cinematic. But they’ve come such an incredibly long way in structure, it’s impressive.
The very anthemic chords and soaring atmospheres rage on with “The Luminous Sky”. This track is one of the most instantaneous tracks of the bunch, it’s just so majestic. But of course, that’s not leaving anything out int he cold as far as Metal goes, because these drums are ridiculous and these vocals are vicious as anything else here. The Thrash portions sound great, and everything has that sort of Epic flair that you would hear more in Black Metal than anything. And guess what? It all comes together wonderfully. I mean, obviously, this is an album that is almost pristine with just how much great production was put into this. So, if you like your Metal a little scuzzy, this may not be doing anything for you. Now, as I’ve said plenty here, there are a lot of epic, grandiose highs on this album. But there’s also a great sadness to this album. Which brings me to “The Vault” These guitars on this intro are just so bluesy and patient. I don’t even mind that they go on for well over a minute. But it’s as things go on that this track gets iffy. Even when all the other instrumentals pop in, this is easily the safest track of the bunch. And yes, the guitar solos are certainly awesome. But the intro alone lasts 3 minutes. And even when all the other instrumentals begin to pile up on this track, this just isn’t a crowning achievement at all. Elements that earlier sounded ballsy now just sound goofy, like the vocals and the chugging rhythms. This doesn’t even sound like Skeletonwitch, and certainly doesn’t sound like the same album. Sure, the wild guitar solos and genuine emotion behind them are great. But for a 10-minute track, this isn’t scratching all the right itches. However, “Carnarium Eternal” starts off so much more explosive and more aggressive than we’ve heard on any track here. I mean, this is an absolutely brutal affair. And yes, once again, we do seem to be getting some Metalcore influence. But it all comes off pretty classy and interesting. I love the sheer power and nonstop feel to this one. While other tracks here have taken their time and really created an atmosphere, this is a solid, nothing fancy Metal jam. The playing is solid, the vocals are great, and while I wish this one had maybe a little more personality, I don’t mind it overall. This album’s finale “Sacred Soil” just seems like the release of all of the tension build up around this album. It’s in your face, epic, and the playing all around is incredible. There’s some really brilliant imagery here, and there’s just so much brute force to this. Like, this reminds me once again of just how epic and grandiose some of Black Metal’s earliest recordings came off as. To be honest, I really wish a lot more of this album was as progressive as “Sacred Soil”. Still, this is a seriously above average Metal album.
Rating: 7.9/10
Give A Listen To: - “Fen Of Shadows”, “Where Paradise Fades”, “The Luminous Sky”, “Sacred Soil”
Least Favorite Track: “The Vault”
Genre: Thrash Metal / Death Metal / Black Metal
Overall Thoughts: With their first album with Adam Clemens on vocals, Skeletonwitch comes through with one of the more memorable albums in their discography in a while. They’re thinking outside the box here in a big way, and more often than not it’s shocking just how quickly Clemens has meshed with the band. There are some elements of Death Metal, Black Metal, even Metalcore at times (the last one there is probably the most suspect of the bunch), all played with Skeletonwitch’s usual campiness and balls to the wall attitude, as well as a strange sorrow most of the time. But, on that note, this album is most exciting when Skeletonwitch is at their most Progressive, and some tracks are less ambitious than others. But overall, this continues to be a really great year for Metal.
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