Skeletonwitch Returns To The Roxy With Mammoth Headline Set

By Andrew Bansal

September 23rd 2014, The Roxy, West Hollywood CA: It was the eventful and memorable night of February 11th 2010 when Athens OH blackened thrashers Skeletonwitch played a free headline show here at the Roxy courtesy of Scion A/V. At the time, they played a 16-song set comprising material from only two albums ‘Beyond The Permafrost’ and ‘Breathing The Fire’, and played to a packed house. Four-and-a-half years, two albums and several high-profile tours later, Skeletonwitch returned to the scene of the crime, attracting an equally sized turnout, only this time it was not a free show. On their current headline tour which leads into a support run with Amon Amarth, they have brought along support acts Ghoul and Black Anvil with them, and this Roxy show also included local opening act Doesn’t Matter. Thinking back to that 2010 show and the smaller headline/support gigs I’ve seen Skeletonwitch do over the past five years, it was great to see the number of people walking in through the door as soon as it opened at 7:30 PM, and the anticipation level was high. 

First up, local hardcore punk band Doesn’t Matter featuring Daniel ‘Dantonio Vivbalding’ Dismal of Church Of The 8th Day caught the attention of the crowd as Europe’s ‘Final Countdown’ was played on the PA immediately before they began their set with the opening riff of Survivor’s ‘Eye Of The Tiger’ and then laid into their own tunes. I’ve been missing out on the band’s local gigs so far but this first experience did not disappoint, and the trio managed to put on an entertaining show, serving as an apt opener for the touring lineup to follow, musically catering more to the Ghoul fans in particular.

Next up, New York black metal flag-bearers Black Anvil took the stage to unleash a relentlessly grim sonic onslaught. In comparison to the last time I saw them, opening for Watain and Goatwhore at a now defunct place called Ruby Room in San Diego in 2010, they’ve certainly upped their musicianship and intensified their on-stage persona, as was evident from this performance which consisted largely of their crushing new album ‘Hail Death’. The most commendable aspect of their live show is the no-bullshit factor. For the entirety of the 30 minutes they were up on stage, there was no stopping, no yelling out song titles in corny death metal voices, and it was all about the music. Their dark, low-energy vibe undoubtedly separates them from the rest of this touring lineup, in a good way.

Just like they did at the same venue last April, Oakland marauders Ghoul laid waste to the Roxy with their signature blend of crossover thrash, grindcore, blood and stage props. Enjoying legendary in the city of LA, they definitely brought a large number of their own fans to this show, many of whom were so narrowly fixated on Ghoul that they departed the venue after the band was done. The place was a gigantic ball of hot mess while they played, mosh pits rolling non-stop and stage divers having a blast, going up there for the right reasons, thankfully, and not to take selfies with the band like some did at that April show. They played a solid selection of high-impact tunes from their 12-year discography, each of them seemingly popular among their fans, and the set also included a cover of Agnostic Front’s ‘Victim In Pain’ featuring two Black Anvil members as guest vocalists. At 10:20, the bloodshed came to an end as Ghoul left the stage.

At 10:45, all was in readiness for Skeletonwitch to hit the stage all guns blazing with four songs off of their latest effort ‘Serpents Unleashed’, before delving into older material and playing a massive 21-song set that pleasantly exhausted this gathering of fans and drained them of all their energy through the 68 minutes they were on stage. While Skeletonwitch have maintained a musical style that listeners have always been able to identify with, they’ve showcased different facets on each album and these were very much evident in this set, from the early melodic death metal sound on the ‘Beyond The Permafrost’ album to the thrashier vibe of ‘Breathing The Fire’, the raw black metal edge of ‘Forever Abomination’ and the fist-pumping fast-paced punk element on ‘Serpents Unleashed’. It’s an absolute delight for longtime fans to be treated with as many as six songs from ‘Beyond The Permafrost’ including righteous tunes such as ‘Upon Wings Of Black’, ‘Limb From Limb’ and ‘Within My Blood’, and although I still long to hear ‘Cast Into The Open Sea’ in a live Skeletonwitch set, song they never play, I wasn’t about to yell it out like the dude here who kept yelling out ‘Onward To Battle!!’ repeatedly to the slight dismay of vocalist Chance Garnette. Besides, ‘Unwept’ off of ‘Serpents Unleashed’ would be a worthy addition to the set as well.

Every single item of the set was well-chosen, nothing went unnoticed or unappreciated, and aside from the usual suspects, ‘This Horrifying Force’ and ‘Cleaver Of Souls’ off of ‘Forever Abomination’ stood out as two of the most notable highlights of the show in my opinion. In addition to the ever-crushing vocal performance of Chance Garnette, every member of the band was on-point and in the groove, sharpened to cutthroat precision from playing these songs night after night.

The success of this Roxy show is vindication of their efforts through the past ten years of their existence. Musically and performance-wise, Skeletonwitch continues to strive for greater heights with every album and tour, instilling a great degree of excitement and anticipation amongst fans awaiting their next step.

Related: Interview: Skeletonwitch Vocalist Talks Touring, Guilty Pleasures & More

Set List:
01. More Cruel Than Weak
02. I Am of Death (Hell Has Arrived)
03. From A Cloudless Sky
04. Burned From Bone
05. Upon Wings Of Black
06. Choke Upon Betrayal
07. The Infernal Resurrection
08. Fire From The Sky
09. Stand Fight And Die
10. Beneath Dead Leaves
11. Serpents Unleashed
12. This Horrifying Force (The Desire to Kill)
13. Crushed Beyond Dust
14. Unending, Everliving
15. Cleaver Of Souls
16. Baptized In Flames
17. Beyond The Permafrost
18. Limb From Limb
19. Repulsive Salvation
20. Of Ash And Torment
21. Within My Blood

Skeletonwitch remaining tour dates:
09/24  San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge^^
09/25  Riverside, CA – Riverside Municipal Auditorium ^
09/26  Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst ^
09/27  Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades ^
09/29  Portland, OR Wonder Ballroom ^
09/30  Seattle, WA – El Corazon ^
10/01  Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom ^
10/03  Edmonton, AB – Union Hall ^
10/04  Calgary, AB – Flames Central ^
10/05  Saskatoon, SK – Louis’ Pub ^
10/06  Winnipeg, MB – The Garrick ^
10/07  Thunder Bay, ON – Crocks ^
10/10  Toronto, ON – The Sound Academy ^
10/11  Montreal, QC – Metropolis ^
10/12  Quebec City, QC – Imperial ^
10/14  Burlington, VT – Higher Ground ^
10/15  Hartford, CT – Webster Theatre ^
10/17  Albany, NY – Upstate Concert Hall ^
10/18  Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus (Decibel anniversary party)
10/19  Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall ^
10/21  Chattanooga, TN – Track 29 ^
10/22  Knoxville, TN – Bijou Theater ^
10/24  Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore ^
10/25  Jacksonville, FL – Freebird ^
10/26  Birmingham, AL – Iron City ^
10/27  New Orleans, LA – The Civic ^
10/29  St. Louis, MO – The Pageant ^
10/30  Joliet, IL – Mojoes ^
10/31  Detroit, MI – Royal Oak ^
11/01  Milwaukee, WI – The Rave ^
11/02  Des Moines, IA – Wooly’s ^
11/04  Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theatre ^
11/05  Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom ^
11/08  El Paso, TX – Tricky Falls ^
11/09  Tucson, AZ – Club XS ^
^ with Amon Amarth & Sabaton
^^ with Ghoul & Black Anvil

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