Devouring Radiant Light

Since they hit the scene in 2003, Athens, Ohio's Skeletonwitch have always been more than just a thrash band—whether they were snapping necks with their breakout 2007 album, <i>Beyond the Permafrost</i>, or branching out on 2013’s melodic <i>Serpents Unleashed</i>. Their sixth LP (and first without vocalist Adam Clemans after he joined the band), <i>Devouring Radiant Light</i> showcases a seasoned, adventurous version of Skeletonwitch—one that’s more interested in exploring gloomy, dark corners than crushing beer cans and kicking up circle pits. The record still shreds while embracing genre agnosticism: On songs like the magisterial title track or the icy closer, “Sacred Seal”, shards of gothic doom, death metal and proggy bombast jab at the band's more familiar thrash template.