All that’s really changed between Skeletonwitch‘s debut for Prosthetic Records, 2007’s Beyond the Permafrost, and their 2009 follow-up is that they’re — if possible — even more themselves. Their blend of thrash, black metal, and classic guitar harmonies has grown airtight through heavy touring, and these songs share all the qualities that made Permafrost one of 2007’s best metal releases. As on the previous album, the band is relentless, never slowing down or changing up its basic attack in any but the most minimal ways — still, the supply of catchy thrash riffs seems inexhaustible.
