Even though the logo of Prosthetic Records tried to deceive me, the name SKELETONWITCH could be nothing more than a pretty aggressive and non-modern Metal band. It seems I was right, and thus I relaxed and decided to enjoy the approximately 39 minutes of this release. Did the band manage to feed my extreme Metal hunger? This is something you can read below. Regarding the 'extreme' thingie, don't tell me you expected any melodic stuff in here...

The US metallers SKELETONWITCH already count 4 years of existence. The band debuted with its At One With The Shadows (Shredded Records) full-length album in 2004, a release that gathered many good reviews and made them become known in the underground circles. After one demo release and one EP, the band signed a contract with Prosthetic Records and released Beyond The Permafrost.

Beyond The Permafrost is an album full of insane Thrash/Black Metal compositions, that have been enriched with some slightly melodic elements. The band's music is closer to the old school scene, something that makes them remind me of bands like NIFELHEIM, NECRODEATH and WITCHERY. The fact is that the band may have some strong and heavy songs that will kick your ass for sure, but I believe that SKELETONWITCH should have worked on their music a bit harder. I mean, you can't listen to a relentless Thrash riff and have some neoclassical leads being thrown right in your face out of the blue! It becomes irritating from time to time.

The sound could also be a bit better, since the drums have this 'faded' sound of a demo recording and the guitars are not as sharp as they should be. Anyway, the band is really good and I believe that if it works on 1-2 things it will be able to offer much better things.