Withershin

Ashen Banners

Canonical Hours 2008

Withershin charged out from the dark corners of Sweden, though you'd never know it from their style/sound.  Combining the raw and freezing aspects of black metal with some blistering death metal rhythms Withershin unload a a firestorm on their debut Ashen Banners.  Violent as hell and refusing for any moment to throttle back on the intensity (well, they do slow it down a bit on Never Condoned), Withershin blaze a blackened path through each track on the album.  At times this brings to mind Marduk and their ilk.  Reincarnation takes a breather with some of the more interesting material on the album in the form of icy melodies, and mid-tempo martial beats, but as always, there are explosions of blast beats and frenzied guitar work.  Entering the Void stands as my favorite song though, with a Nordic melody flying over galloping kick drums.  In contrast to the relentless pace of the song, the guitar solo on Lights In Zephyrs is laid back and tinged with a sense of nostalgia.  The deep spoken words that introduce Disdain are a nice change-up and give the song an almost industrial feel which is enhanced by the ambient noise that closes out the track.  Withershin has a thoroughly modern sound, though not clinical in their approach.  The production holds just a modicum of rawness.  Withershin's debut is a solid album though it could do with a little better songwriting to make the songs more memorable.  Their fiery attitude and violent approach carry Ashen Banners through on sheer conviction and provide reasons to hope for a promising future from Withershin.