WITHERING „Festum Melancholia EP”

Music: Epic Melodic Death Metal
Website: http//www.withering.org
Country: Finland
Cool songs: Kekri, The 29th of August, Famine Year

WITHERING, as a band, consolidated in 1999, when Henkka and Mika decided to form a group. They wanted to express their ideas and to give them a tangible form. The beginnings of the band were not easy, because almost after every recording the members have been deciding to part ways. Since 1999 the group managed to record four albums, including two demos, a debut titled ‘Gospel of Madness’ and this little EP – ‘Festum Melancholia’. The last one has been recorded in a three-part team, featuring some interesting guest musicians, as Ville Rutanen from CASKET. But the music…

The music does not seem to have much in common with traditional melo-death we know, especially the one from Scandinavia. The musicians call it an epic and those epic parts are audible, especially in the developed guitar parts and fantastic atmosphere. But all in all, the material is quite close to melodic power metal, sometimes even heavy (subtle guitars bring to mind IRON MAIDEN), but the death-like vocals of Ville still makes it quite death. The melodies are varied and quite developed, there is no place for repetition. Motifs chop and change and make the whole very interesting. It is only an EP, although it brings so much joy from listening, and it is so mature, that from the very beginning the listener has an impression of a full concept album. The instrumental ‘Kekri’ is a real pearl and stays in memory for hours. A real poetic composition. Whereas ‘The 29th of August’ and ‘Famine Year’ pulverize with pure and unstoppable power. The dose of energy is huge which makes the music digestible for metal heads.

The technicalities of the album are at a very high level. It is audible that the musicians are very skillful craftsmen and that music is the thing that they were born with. It is in their veins and allows them to create such melodic and dynamic compositions. Interesting acoustic intros and in-fixes enrich the album and make it more universal, so that every individual would find here something interesting. Cool guitar and drum sound and cooperation build a vivid picture of real metal highway. A road maybe not to hell but straight into the core of poetic play.

WITHERING recorded an interesting piece of music, attractive to everyone. The compositions are poetic, alive, aggressive and calm if necessary. They represent different states of minds and build the whole spectre of metal sound. But still, there is not enough metal in it… the whole aspires to be melodic death, and to be honest, this genre is nearly audible here. It is a proof that the musicians have evolved, that they are not trapped in a death-can and their music evolved with them. Therefore you can acquire the sound.

note: 8.5/10

Tracklist

1. Karelia Spirit (intro)
2. The Last Sleep
3. Kekri (instrumental)
4. The 29th of August
5. Famine Year
6. Kalmisto (outro)

Total playing time 21:42

Line-up

Henkka – drums
Mika – lead Guitars
Juho – guitars
Guest musicians:
Ville Rutanen – vocals
Niko Johannes Mankinen – clean vocals
Jere Perkiökangas – bass
Jarkko “Mr. Burns” Mattus – guitar solo