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.

Cold, forlorn landscapes make the ideal breeding grounds for black metal bands. Maybe that’s why North Dakota is rapidly becoming the U.S. black metal (USBM) scene’s answer to Scandinavia. Earlier this year we were gifted with the release of ND natives Ghost Bath’s awe-inspiring masterpiece Moonlover. Now comes another stunning slab of USBM from their fellow Dakota residents Frosthelm.

After a couple of highly acclaimed independent releases Frosthelm has taken their blackened thrash attack to legendary metal producer Matt Hyde’s new label Black Work (Alkemy Brothers) and delivered the brilliant and pummeling album The Endless Winter. Skeletonwitch singer Chance Garnett may have summed these guys up best with this quote: “A definite Euro/cold guitar tone but with an American ‘something’ added. I hear Immortal meets The Black Dahlia Murder, and that’s something I’ve not yet heard.”