Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…

This month’s Decibel Flexi artist is Skeletonwitch, who have forever endeared themselves to me by picking vintage SuperSonics gold on green as their color scheme. (Note: Skeletonwitch are not from Seattle and didn’t have shit to do with the colors.) Anyway, the music on it is pretty choice, too, especially if you’re an O.G. Witch fan. And I’m talking really O.G.—like, say, the Garnette boys’ (probably nonexistent) little sister. “Tragedy of Days” was the closing instrumental to their 2004 debut At One With the Shadows. You won’t find a review in the first couple issues of Decibel because AOWTS came out on Shredded Records (someone might wanna update the actual album’s Wiki page), and sells for a handsome $80 on eBay today. Anyway, the Flexi version of “Tragedy of Days” has full vocals, so it’s essentially a brand new song. Pretty cool move on their part. You can preview it here to make sure they didn’t ruin the jam you haven’t heard—they didn’t:

Skeletonwitch “Tragedy Of Days (dB010)” by Decibel Magazine

Then secure this gem by ordering the new issue in our webstore pronto.

-AB

Decibel’s October 2011 issue also features Mastodon, The Black Dahlia Murder, YOB, Today is the Day, and a Queensrÿche/Operation: Mindcrime Hall of Fame. But the only way to ensure that you get one of these awesome flexi discs is to get a full subscription.

Skeletonwitch must be one of the most metal metal bands out there right now; there’s no pretense to their music, no core, nothing about it that’s retro, nothing about it that’s trendy, no way to describe it as anything other than “fucking metal.” Combine this with the fact that Chance Garnette is absolutely one of the most entertaining frontmen on the scene today, and, well, it is absolutely no shock that people love this band. They are worth loving.

So you’ll be happy to know that their just-released new song, “The Infernal Resurrection,” does not disappoint. It is EXACTLY what a new Skeletonwitch song should be. Check it out:

The band has also unveiled the cover art for their new album, Forever Abomination, via that album’s pre-order page. Although it’s at a slight angle for some reason. Still looks pretty fucking cool, though:

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The bad news is that drummer Derrick Nau has left the band, although apparently under amicable circumstances — in a statement, the group says that Nau ”is returning to art school and does not wish to be a musician anymore.” C’est la vie.

The great news is that the band has already named a replacement for Nau, and that replacement is Tony Laureano, who, the statement says, “will be playing drums on our April tour, new album, and for the foreseeable future.”

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Skeletonwitch has been a welcome anomaly these past few years. Amidst a resurgence of thrash and 80s throwback nostalgia, the band managed to stand head and shoulders above most emerging, like-minded acts, no doubt many thanks to their inclusion of equal parts thrash, N.W.O.B.H.M. melody, black metal vocals and Nordic nods in the quintet’s riffing and tempos. Breathing the Fire, their new Prosthetic Records release, further codifies these styles and influences, and confirms The ‘Witch’s music as both original and refreshing.

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If not for Kat from Salome, Skeletonwitch vocalist Chance Garnette probably would’ve won MVP for Scion Rock Fest. Seriously, this fucker is the man.

Here’s the band’s video for “Sacrifice for the Slaughtered,” off their most recent album, Beyond the Permafrost. The band played a new song at Scion and expect to have their next release out later this year.

-AR