Withered Earth
Of Which They Bleed
6.5
Take a chunk of rough grade sandpaper and apply it to your scrotum in one forceful swipe. Did you notice that? Of course you did. It was something you don't feel very often. It commanded your attention in an instant and left you no choice but to focus on the aftermath. Let's call the sandpaper and it's effects Withered Earth and you'll be the hairy nutsack skin. Problems may arise from such activities however. At first the swipe may have been shocking, painful, or actually quite pleasurable. But after repeated swipes of such harsh and abrasive material, it's just not going to be a fun activity anymore. Withered Earth absolutely blasts you upon disc insertion no matter what the volume. Production is so fucking big and "raw" that it's impossible not to hear the cymbals exploding and guitars falling through the ceiling w/ loads of debris. Guitar tone is almost overwhelming and slightly too detailed. Obviously Withered Earth are not going for the subtle approach, but rather the Caterpillar D-11 bulldozer approach. Shifting into gear and sinking the blade into the earth, they plow ruthlessly and deposit all unsuspecting material into it's new place. Adam Bonacci sounds very similar to Kyle Symons from HatePlow/Malevolent Creation, and if you take Slayer's guitar tone and turn it up 10 notches you have Chris Burgio's guitar sound. This sound is quite frankly too much at first and takes a few songs to get used to. But by song #4, "Ruins", the mixing seems to change slightly on the guitar and most noticeable snare & cymbals. Not a drastic shock by any means but a different sound for sure. The music doesn't change as this is straight ahead American chunk w/ consistent vox and trademark guttural breaks and it just doesn't let up. This brings me to my problem. By the time "Suicide of Arrangement" rolls around, I have personally had enough of this album. Too aggressive? No. It's just that there is absolutely no variance at all. I love American Death metal but to have every second of the 1st six songs be just that in it's purest and most unpolished NYDM form deters my attention. Riffing is good, not outstanding or unheard of, but enough to get the grimace formed. And the drumming is fast and explosive to nuclear proportions, but all songs seem to have the same tempo 95% of the time. It's like a good idea that is only ¾ of the way developed, and by the end it's just complete overkill of that idea. The breaks lose their potency and the guitars just dominate too much over the rest. Fun American Death it is but will I come back for more like Divine Empire's "Nostrodamus"? No, I will not. So in turn the sandy sack abrasion grew intolerable very quickly. When someone mentions Withered Earth in the future I will definitely remember the exact sound for it is engraved in my eustacian tubes like cro-magnon bison spearing drawings in a cave, but it's too much of a raw blast for me to endorse it as Millenium Metal. It's good material for the most part but I think a more controlled and toned down production will help greatly next time for the hostility and aggression that Withered Earth puts forth.
