WITHERED

Memento Mori

Lifeforce
rating icon 7.5 / 10

Track listing:

01. It's All Said
02. Within Your Grief
03. Like Locusts
04. Silent Grave
05. Beyond Wrath
06. Fear and Pain That Cripples Me
07. Among Sorrow


Well goddamn, here's case where the press release comparisons to early Swedish death metal are right on point! Take the motoring riff blasts of DISMEMBER, UNLEASHED, and early ENTOMBED, blend in the grime of a HIGH ON FIRE, add a quart of sludge, and you've got Atlanta's WITHERED. Now that's a damn tasty mixed drink.

The sound on this one is punishing and dirty as hell. The speed picking and drum blasts are downright smothering. On songs like "It's All Said" and "Within Your Grief", the blitzkrieg only subsides when doomy slow to mid-tempo sections take over, and it's not long before severe beatings begin again. The vocals move from classic Swedish death growl to the gruff, echoing barks of a Matt Pike (HIGH ON FIRE). Screams of agony make their way into the mix from time to time as well, such as on the nine-minute like the way Wes Kever annihilates his drum set or the manner in which the riffs strangle and choke. Doomy guitar harmonies are heard throughout — melodic yes, but never sounding like the newer school of Swedish death metal. Rather, the lead work and the downshifts in tempo always produce a hopeless, miserable feeling. Wide smiles and sparkling eyes are nowhere to be found on this album.

Visions of smoke rising from scorched earth always pop into my head when I hear bands like WITHERED. That's a good sign. Considering Lifeforce's metalcore-crowded roster, most folks will be taken by complete surprise with "Memento Mori", a dangerous album made by a monstrous quartet. Be on the lookout.

Author:
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • reddit
  • email

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).