France’s Skelethal has been focused on writing old-school death metal with a lot of Swedish influences since their inception in 2012, capturing that buzz saw tonality and overall murkiness perfectly across a series of EP’s and a full length in 2017. Since that material came out Skelethal has went through some significant changes, as founding member Jon Whiplash departed leaving Gui Haunting to assemble a brand-new lineup. What was once a duo with live members has now become a full-fledged band, and with that there’s a noticeable shift in sound on their sophomore effort Unveiling the Threshold. That’s not to say that this group has strayed radically from their roots, but there is noticeably more substance to the writing beyond the standard tonality and worship of specific bands from Swedish death metal’s prime.
Quite a bit has changed since 0f the Depths…, and one of the first things you’re likely to notice if you’ve spent time listening to Skelethal’s previous material is a significant shift in production values. Previous material really emphasized the bottom end of the sound and put everything in a murkier demo like framework, as though it could have been ripped right out of the 90s. On Unveiling the Threshold there’s a much fuller sound that provides a bit more separation between each instrument and makes it easier to pick out each one without sacrificing the heaviness of the sound. It’s a move that works to the band’s advantage, as that rumbling buzz saw tone is still there and the guitars often sound like they’re encased in grime, but the fuller sound really helps to help individual elements stand out more than before. Skelethal has written some more dynamic songs as well, capturing the old-school blasting and mid-tempo riffs that lurch forward like the undead but there are some eerier melodies and thrashy moments that are reminiscent of early American death metal. They’re still not reinventing the wheel, but where this band previously wore almost exclusively Swedish influence on their sleeves there’s now a little bit of everything classic death metal and the writing has a few more twists and turns than your average old-school worship. Songs like “Antropomorphia” and “On Somber Soil” leave a strong impression with leads that have just the right balance of creepy melodies that sneak up on you and crushing heaviness. Admittedly even with this new approach there are still some moments that blend together on repeat listens and Skelethal hasn’t quite hit that level where every song absolutely floors you, but they’ve written some real heavy hitters on Unveiling the Threshold and it’s clear this new lineup has moved the band in a new and intriguing direction.
One element that has remained consistent is Gui Haunting handling the vocals on each of the band’s releases, and his lower-pitched growls and higher screams come through with even more power than before. His pitch isn’t quite an extremely low guttural, but Haunting is able to move from much lower ranges into some raspier ones that have a ghoulish quality to them. It’s an approach that’s been a staple of the genre for three plus decades yet never gets old when it’s delivered with this level of intensity, and it helps that the vocals hover slightly above the instrumentals and take the spotlight frequently. Where it sometimes felt like they were a bit buried in the past, here they tower above the rest of the band and it makes Skelethal even more lethal.
It has seemed like any band with a variant of the word skeleton has delivered quality death metal in 2020, and Skelethal is no different. With the change in lineup they’ve evolved from somewhat standard Swedish death metal worship into a band that still has that same tone but incorporates more influences from across the world. The way they’re able to layer just a hint of ominous melodies over top of the familiar lurching grooves and blasting goes a long way, and while some songs do blend together slightly, I’ve still found myself returning to this album often. It’s a noticeable leap forward for this group, and I suspect as this lineup continues to play together we’re in for something even better down the road. Unveiling the Threshold is available from Hells Headbangers Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it with others to help us grow. You can also like and follow us on the social media of your choice with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and support us on Patreon.