Review by Stephen Pedicino
When I think of the word withered, I envision something gray, dying, and meager. Not necessarily a good description of the music that you’ll find on Withered’s sophomore release, Folie Circulaire. Within 5 minutes of listening, you’ll understand why.
A cold, heavily distorted guitar slowly promenades into a darkened tone and paves the way for our first song, “…The Fated Breath.” With plenty of breaks and a melo-death sound, it’s a bit hard to classify. Increasingly so when the sludgified doom part kicks in midway. Clearly, this band has ranging influences stemming from that endless list of metal sub-genres. It may throw some newbies for a loop, but seasoned vets like us can thankfully appreciate such chaos. (Or at least give a good try!)
Don’t be alarmed though. It may sound overzealous from my description, but Withered don’t make the mistake of depleting their eclecticism. The transitions from different styles are subtle and blended very well, contrary to the more jittery fashion presented by bands like Between the Buried and Me. Some comparisons could be drawn between Withered and BtBaM, but the latter is definitely more frenetic. Also, Withered does not have any clean vocals.
The rudimentarily complex “Dichotomy of Exile” injects a decent amount of groove into a somewhat doomy song structure. Mastodon could be slightly referred to as a reference here. The breaks will leave you guessing as to what tempo Withered will strike with next. Opposed to Dragonforce, where my neighbor’s poodle could tell you what rhythm is coming…..an energetic song.
The almost incessantly layered guitars capably nurture a sonic biosphere of sullen tempos and rhythms without getting bland or overused along the way. Some melancholic parts remind me of the also American band Agalloch (for those who know them). Even though the record is pretty sobering across the board, the shifting styles prevent things from getting trite. Whether it is the doom, black metal, death metal or progressive signatures, not one facet steals the spotlight for too long. One minute you’re listening to Immortal and the next you could swear you hear Pelican!
“Purification of Ignorance” has a beginning that eclipses anything else on the disc in terms of heaviness. Screeching tremolo guitars accompanied by blastbeats batter your ears before getting capriciously tranquilized about thirty seconds in. Another unexpected break in this winding journey……The middle portion is mostly mid-tempo and by the time you near the end you’ll be treated to some very furious thrash. The drumming maintains the pace extremely well not just on this song but on every other. Some sporadic technicality adds a nice touch from the percussion piece of the puzzle.
You’d think that a song entitled “Drawn Black Drapes” would be one of the more solemn tracks on this album. Ironically, it’s the heaviest throughout, remaining as death and black metal during the whole duration. Something I wouldn’t have ever expected! Perhaps I’m predicting the unpredictable? It’s the only tune on the album that really clings to one style completely. Regardless, it’s a brutal slice of pie.
Withered will probably dazzle you more with their creativity and song-writing instead of with raw talent. This is not a bad thing by any means though. There aren’t really any memorable solos to be found on Folie Circulaire, but the band’s ingenuity alone is enough to compensate for the lack. Maybe after fully establishing their name in the metal scene, Withered can include a bit of pomposity in their songs.
A cool thing about Folie Circulaire is that despite its heaviness, it can feasibly be played in the background and provide a certain ambience that doesn’t interfere with an intuitive moment. I’ve listened to it while perusing Shakespeare’s “Othello” and while watching porn all in the same day! THAT is versatility. Even though its wayward at times, there is a certain organization to it all that flows like R&B.
Okay, maybe not quite R&B…..
Usually, bands this eclectic include the use of keyboards into their sound. Surprisingly, not even a hint of a piano is to be found anywhere. Even though I’m a fan of keyboards, I feel that Withered impressed enough with this release without the use of any auxiliary instruments. Hopefully the rest of you don’t require keys the way a necrophiliac requires a corpse….
The guitars themselves tend to run a bit on the dryer side. Theguitar playing is creative and respectively diverse, but the recording is just a bit off. Also, you’ll find that the vocals sound a bit distant. Chris Freeman sports a decent range and proves that he can lower himself from the black metal rasps to the death growls(visa-versa). But it just sounds like he stood a couple inches too far from the microphone during his sessions. However, barring a fuzzy sound, this is still a young band and such irregularities can be overlooked. I’m sure that after getting more recognition Withered will be able to afford a better production for the next effort.
In conclusion, Folie Circulaire is an eclectic but controlled album that fails to ever get boring or insipid. Apostles of death, black, progressive doom, and the loosely classified “sludge,” will all get a good taste of their preference while spinning this cd. It is good to see a new American band that strives to be more unique than normal.