On Octover 29th, Skeletonwitch will release their fifth disc, Serpents Unleashed. Recorded with Kurt Ballou (Converge, Isis, High On Fire) earlier this year, and featuring artwork by John Baizley (Kvelertak, Kylesa, Baroness), Serpents Unleashed — the follow-up to 2011’s Billboard-charting Forever Abomination, and a record Decibel has hailed as the band’s “best effort to date” — sees Skeletonwitch at their most punishing. The album — which is available for preorder at Skeletonwitch.com in CD, LP, cassette, digital download and limited edition 7-inch collector’s box formats — will be unleashed in North America on October 29th, in Australia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland on October 25th and in the UK and the rest of Europe on October 28th. In addition, you can now pre-order the album digitally at iTunes and Bandcamp and receive an instant download of “I Am Of Death (Hell Has Arrived).”

Also next month, Skeletonwitch will initiate the massive Serpents Unleashed touring cycle by playing a handful of shows with Swedish occult rockers Ghost B.C., after which they’ll embark on a full North American takeover with The Black Dahlia Murder. The band will kick off 2014 with a stateside journey alongside Amon Amarth and Enslaved. A full list of the group’s upcoming live assaults are included below.

SKELETONWITCH FALL 2013 TOUR DATES
10/04/2013 Majestic Theatre – Madison, WI w/ Ghost B.C.
10/05/2013 Frank’s Power Plant – Milwaukee, WI (Skeletonwitch only)
10/06/2013 Smith’s Downtown – Mishawaka, IN (Skeletonwitch only)
10/07/2013 Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH w/ Ghost B.C.
10/14/2013 Bijou Theatre – Knoxville, TN w/ Ghost B.C.

w/ The Black Dahlia Murder, Fallujah, Noisem
10/24/2013 Peabody’s Concert Club – Cleveland, OH
10/25/2013 Chameleon Club – Lancaster, PA

10/26/2013 Knitting Factory – Brooklyn, NY
 (Tickets are $20 and doors are at 7PM)

10/27/2013 The Met – Pawtucket, RI
10/28/2013 Higher Ground – Burlington, VT
10/29/2013 Le Cercle – Quebec City, QC
10/30/2013 La Tulipe – Montreal, QC
10/31/2013 Ritual – Ottawa, ON
11/01/2013 Rum Runners – London, ON
11/02/2013 Mod Club – Toronto, ON
11/04/2013 Crocks – Thunder Bay, ON
11/06/2013 West End Cultural Centre – Winnipeg, MB
11/07/2013 Louis’ Pub – Saskatoon, SK
11/08/2013 Avenue Theatre – Edmonton, AB
11/09/2013 The Den – Calgary, AB
11/11/2013 The Biltmore Cabaret – Vancouver, BC
11/12/2013 The Center – Spokane, WA
11/13/2013 WOW Hall – Eugene, OR
11/14/2013 Whiskey Dick’s Saloon – South Lake Tahoe, CA
11/15/2013 Strummer’s – Fresno, CA
11/16/2013 Glasshouse – Pomona, CA
11/17/2013 The Rock – Tucson, AZ
11/18/2013 Tricky Falls – El Paso, TX *newly added
11/19/2013 Club Patron – Odessa, TX



Since signing with Prosthetic seven years ago, a new Skeletonwitch album has materialized like clockwork every other October. First, there was the group’s sophomore breakthrough, Beyond The Permafrost. Produced by late GWAR guitarist Cory Smoot and featuring iconic artwork by John Baizley (Baroness, Kylesa, Kvelertak), the album — and subsequent tours with the likes of Danzig, Dimmu Borgir and Amon Amarth — told the world what the rest of Ohio already knew: That Skeletonwitch was a metal force with which to be reckoned. That album’s “Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery” would eventually be featured in the video game Brutal Legend, placing the band in excellent company with digitized versions of Rob Halford, Ozzy and Lemmy.

Then came 2009’s Breathing The Fire, produced by the legendary Jack Endino (Nirvana, High On Fire, 3 Inches of Blood). Supported by tours with Cannibal Corpse, Children of Bodom and Ozzfest, the album — the band’s first featuring bassist Evan Linger, and also their first to crack the Billboard Top 200 — caught the attention of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, who invited the group to film a zombie-themed video for the song “Bringers of Death” that the band members still haven’t stopped hearing about.

In 2011, Forever Abomination — produced by Grammy-winner Matt Hyde (Slayer, Deftones) — saw the arrival of drummer Dustin Boltjes (ex-Demiricous), as well as a return visit to the Billboard Top 200. On the road, the group toured alongside Arch Enemy, Kvelertak, The Black Dahlia Murder and Nile before embarking on their most ambitious trek to date: A 63-shows-in-65-days test of endurance they passed with flying colors.

Links:
Skeletonwitch