Rough Edge: Withered CD Reviews

WITHERED

"Dualitas" (Prosthetic; 2011)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

The latest release by American pseudo black metal unit Withered, entitled "Dualitas," yields an extreme metal tour-de-force chock full of vehement aggression draped in bleak atmosphere.

Intertwining shrieking shards of velocity, tribal percussive fury, and sinewy drone metal slow crawls (“The Progenitor's Grasp”), Withered demonstrates advanced compositional control while still procuring a majestic tone and scope across this eight-track affair (“Seek The Shrouded”).

Displaying a penchant for effortlessly changing tempos from blistering to deconstructive without losing their primal sense of brutality (“Extinguished with the Weary”), Withered has created a well-textured collection of savagery whose exploratory edge renders an adventurous listening experience encompassing the darker edge of the metal spectrum.

For more information visit http://www.withered.net.

"Folie Circulaire" (Prosthetic; 2008)

Reviewed by Mike SOS

Continuing their quest to mesh the diabolical tones of black metal with post hardcore heft and tech metal savvy, Withered returns with their sophomore effort, the 10-track "Folie Circulaire."

Maintaining an icy glaze even while mired in between meaty and massive sludge-metal riffs ("Drawn Black Drapes"), Withered's well-balanced diet of ground-and-pound grit and sweeping grandiosity yield monstrous metal anthems like "Gnosis Unveils," channeling the spirits of Enslaved, Mastodon, and Emperor simultaneously while "Putrification of Ignorance" hypnotizes with a lulling passage before throwing down a full-on black metal barrage dripping with Nordic doom.

Perhaps stumbling upon the new sound of metal, Withered's latest well-rounded endeavor injects the extreme metal genre with a slew of new and exciting possibilities, as their bold throwing out of the rulebook and unapologetic embracing of all heavy forms of darkness has made for a tantalizing display of metal that forward thinking metalheads will fall in love with.

For more information visit http://www.withered.net.

"Memento Mori" (Lifeforce; 2005)

Reviewed by Christopher J. Kelter

Withered have sprung forth as a reconfigured band that was once focused on punk and grind to something that incorporates death metal vibes and modern heaviness. Despite that simple description, "Memento Mori" features a diverse set of sounds that brings the band under the doom/death genre without catering the least bit to the tried and true sound and style you've come to expect from the genre.

The seven tracks on "Memento Mori" blaze by in just under 37 minutes. What's interesting is that Withered manages to mix up short songs and epics in a seamless manner. The varied song lengths never seem forced and actually seems quite natural as if the band lets each track arrive at its natural conclusion.

The band's grind sections are predictably relentless without being so over the top as to seem a caricature of the genre. The sludgy parts of Withered's songs heighten the tension inherent in the songs and overall album. And in between these poles is a healthy smattering of tempos, moods, and emotional daring that fill the gaps quite nicely.

What makes it all work is the ability to pull the occasional melody into the mix of blasts and hectic riffing – and the melodies aren't always the higher range "solos" and lead lines you'd expect to hear in metal. The melodies have weight and substance in conveying contributions from all areas.

Withered's "Memento Mori" is a compelling mix of traditional death metal's energy and modern metal's grittier, moodier sludge. Based on what I'm hearing on "Memento Mori" I'd have to say that the future is pretty bright for Withered.

"Memento Mori" was produced by Michael Green.

Withered: Chris Freeman on vocals and guitar, Mike Thompson on vocals and guitar, Greg Hess on bass, and Wes Keveer on drums.

For more information visit http://www.withered.net.

Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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