I met these guys several years back when they played at one of Jack Koschick's late era Milwaukee Metalfests and emerged as one of the brightest stars of a generally dismal event. Everybody who saw them perform at that show knew this would be a band to reckon with. As great as my hopes were for Skeletonwitch, they have been massively surpassed with "Beyond the Permafrost", surely one of 2007's most METAL releases.

Holy shit! This disc rocks from start to finish with no weaknesses. It started an uncontrollable paroxysm of headbanging and running around the room with a broom getting ready for "Guitar Hero III". The band has a TOTAL understanding of what they are doing and manage to mix the classic sounds of Maiden, Priest and Megadeth with raging thrash and the eerie melody of black metal. If you could imagine a faster Three Inches of Blood with guttural/raspy vocals and a more serious tone, you'd be on the way to where Skeletonwitch are. Seriously, I love Three Inches, but "Beyond the Permafrost" beats "Fire Up the Blades" at its own game. How much do I love this record? I got Overkill's "Immortalis" the same day and I consider that one of Overkill's best-ever discs. And I STILL like this better!

The band is really compact in their approach, as hardly any song exceeds the four minute mark. But they're all full of great riffs and melodies. I can't really pick a favorite. I love the title track a lot, but also the blackened thrash of "Baptized in Flames" with its great Dissection-goes-speed-metal sound, the completely raging "Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery" and the epic "Cast Into the Open Sea". Vocalist Chance Garnette veers between full-throated croaks and freezing rasp...he's improved by leaps and bounds over past efforts. The whole band clicks on everything...the whole goddamn disc smokes!

If you haven't figured it out by now, BUY THIS CD! Or go join a fuckin' emo band!