When Ohio blackened thrash legends Skeletonwitch parted ways with their iconic singer Chance Garnette in 2014, many fans (myself included) worried that the band was losing the element that made them so special. Now almost two years later, our concerns are being put to rest as we get our first listen to the advanced tracks from Skeltonwitch’s upcoming EP The Apothic Gloom.

The new offering will be released August 19, 2016 via Prosthetic Records, and features new vocalist Adam Clemans, formerly of Wolvhammer. Clemans’ vocal style meshes nicely with Skeletonwitch and from what I’m hearing so far, is not a radical departure from his predecessor. Judge for yourself as this week’s Black Metal Friday track is the freshly released seven minute epic titled “Red Death, White Light.” Give it a listen here below and let us know what you think in the comments below.

When former Pantera and current Down and Superjoint frontman Phil Anselmo isn’t busy apologizing for being a closet racist, he actually manages to crank out an astounding amount of high quality music. There was an incident earlier this year where the singer gave a Nazi salute and uttered the phrase “white power” onstage at Dimebash, an annual tribute to slain Pantera guitarist “˜Dimebag’ Darrell Abbott. Anselmo apologized profusely and said that he understood that he needed to change his ways. However, it was very recently discovered that he had just subscribed to a white power channel on YouTube.

While we at GoD certainly don’t condone or forgive Anselmo’s behavior, it doesn’t negate the significance of his contributions to the metal world over the last 3 decades. His latest project may just be his most intriguing outing yet. Scour is a new Anselmo-fronted black metal project, and you can check out a new track from them below.

British black metal unit Wode have been causing quite a buzz in the underground. It all started with their 2011 demo and now, five years later, the band have finally delivered their self titled debut album.

Check out the video to “Death’s Edifice” below.

It has been seven long years since we were blessed with a new album from Dark Funeral. The kings of Swedish black metal have undergone several lineup changes in that time, including the addition of new vocalist Heljarmadr. In December of 2014, the band released their first track to feature the new lineup via the “Nail Them to the Cross” single. That track also appears on the band’s upcoming album Where Shadows Forever Reign which will be released on June 24, 2016 via Century Media.

I recently got my hands on an advance copy of the record and while I can’t honestly say that it’s my favorite effort of theirs, there are definitely some gems on there. One of the standouts is the track that I have chosen to feature on this Black Metal Friday. This is “Temple of Ahriman.” Give it a listen and if you like what you’re hearing check out the band’s back catalog and give Where Shadows Forever Reign a listen when it drops on June 24th.

Columbian black metal duo Inquisition has been blazing new trails since 1988. Originally working in the thrash metal vein in their native country, the band would soon relocate to the United States and turn their focus to creating some of the earliest second wave black metal. That is a course that they have stayed ever since. The band has honed and refined their evil attack with each of their ten albums, leading them to their current status as one of the world’s most respected black metal units.

In 2012, Inquisition signed with the highly prestigious underground metal label Season of Mist and released the critically acclaimed fan favorite Obscure Verses for the Multiverse. Now, we’re getting our first glimpse of the highly anticipated follow up. Inquisition’s eleventh album, Bloodshed Across the Empyrean Altar Beyond the Celestial Zenith, will be released via Season of Mist on August 26, 2016.