Withered - Folie Circulaire Review
Posted by Dan Marsicano on 07.01.2008
Extreme death/sludge metal band Withered has returned with their sophomore effort. Can the Atlanta foursome keep the brutal, yet melodic, sound present on their debut album?
The Band
Chris Freeman-Guitar, Vocals
Mike Thompson-Guitar, Vocals
Mike Longoria-Bass
Beau Brandon-Drums
The Track Listing
1. To Embrace-1:41
2. The Fated Breath-4:54
3. Dichotomy of Exile-5:36
4. Gnosis Unveils-6:52
5. The Forsaken Truth-1:49
6. Purification of Ignorance-5:14
7. Drawn Black Drapes-3:43
8. Reveal The Essence of Suffering-6:54
9. Clamor Beneath-4:59
10. Into Armageddon-4:27
The Review
Withered is an extreme death/sludge metal group from Atlanta, Georgia. The band formed in 2003, with Freeman and Thompson coming from the Grindcore band Social Infestation (which also has Mastodon bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders as a member). The band released their first album in 2005, Memento Mori and went through a line-up change afterwards, replacing bassist Greg Hess and drummer Wes Kever with Longoria and Brandon, respectively. Folie Circulaire is Withered’s sophomore effort, and one that has the band mixing extreme death metal with a doom/sludge sound to create a wall of sound that pummels you, with only a short instrumental in the middle giving you a chance to take a breath.
“The Fated Breath” starts off with a Mastodon-like opening, with a blend of sludge and death metal that eventually leans more towards the death side of metal. The vocals range from a raspy screech to a guttural growl that sounds like the gateway to Hell is open for business. The band follows suit, doing a more than adequate job keeping the music grounded and focused, without flying off the handle.
The tracks on the first half of the album blend death metal, doom metal, and sludge metal more distinctively. “Gnosis Unveils” starts out with a three minute introduction, almost half of its running length, slowly grinding its way through passages that evoke memories of Slayer’s Hell Awaits-era. Like the title track of that album, the second half is where Withered shines, blasting through a quick series of furious blast beats and pummeling guitar work.
The second half of the album is a different beast, one that is more vicious and brutal. The sludge/doom metal influences only make a brief appearance in a track or two, being pushed aside for straight-up extreme death metal. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the one-two punch of “Purification of Ignorance” and “Drawn Black Drapes.” From the very first riff of the former to the sudden ending of the latter, Withered doesn’t allow the listener a moment of melody. Both tracks have a dark beauty to them, a beauty that is hidden amongst the gloominess of the lyrical content (“I dream of black drapes, swaying with the wind”).
“Reveal The Essence Of Suffering” is the only track on the second half with any calm moments. The middle portion of the album consists mainly of Longoria’s bass, heard clearly, but with added distortion, slowly playing a repetitive bass line over and over again, evoking a sullen atmosphere that gets grim when the band comes back in to end the track the way they came in; fast and emotionless.
The band employs the help of Napalm Death front man Mark “Barney” Greenway for “The Fated Breath” and “Clamor Beneath.” The latter track sounds like a later-day Napalm Death song and wouldn’t be out of place on The Code Is Red…Long Live The Code or Smear Campaign. Greenway, like usual, kills on the vocals and Withered makes sure that they get the most out of him, letting him loose on whole passages.
The one thing that bothered me about the album was the lack of material present. Yes, there are ten tracks on Folie Circulaire, but take away the two instrumentals and “Into Armageddon” (a competent cover of a Necrophobic song off of 1999’s The Third Antichrist), and you only have seven tracks of actual material, which equals less than 40 minutes. I’m not saying the album should be an hour long, but I think that there should have been more original material, or at least less instrumentals, which do help the atmosphere of the album out, but don’t equate much to the album as a whole.
The band instrumentally focuses more on mood and ambiance than on technical prowess. The only song that has a solo is the cover track, but the flashy guitar work isn’t missed. The vocals are drowned out by all the other instruments, but can be heard enough to get the whole picture, and the rhythm section is solid, but not spectacular.
Folie Circulaire is an album that will not appeal to everybody. The album is a tough listen, as Withered throws a lot at you in 45 minutes. Even after multiple listens, there is still a lot to be absorbed. For those who like a good challenge, and love death metal with some doom/sludge mixed in for good measures, Folie Circularie will prove to a demanding, abet a satisfying, listen in the
The 411: Folie Circulaire doesn't fall in the "sophomore curse" field, yet isn't a modern day classic. It's a decent metal album that ranges from excellent to "meh" at times. The band definitely knows how to bring the heaviness and brutality, especially in the second half. Hopefully, Withered can continue to evolve as a band, as they have a good sound to them, mixing sludge and death metal. Finding that balance can be tough, and something that Withered has almost gotten down to a tee.
