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Witherscape - The Inheritance review



Reviewer:
8.3

318 users:
8.42
Band: Witherscape
Album: The Inheritance
Release date: July 2013


01. Mother Of The Soul
02. Astrid Falls [feat. Eddie Risdal]
03. Dead For A Day
04. Dying For The Sun [feat. Joel Selsfors & Paul Kuhr]
05. To The Calling Of Blood And Dreams
06. The Math Of The Myth
07. Crawling From Validity
08. The Wedlock Observation [feat. Eddie Risdal, Morten Jørgensen & Paul Kuhr]
09. The Inheritance
10. Last Rose Of Summer [Judas Priest cover] [Mediabook bonus]
11. A Cry For Everyone [Gentle Giant cover] [Mediabook bonus]

Witherscape is yet another Swanö project and one which offers progressive death metal thematically and aesthetically caste in a gothic atmosphere. With a keyboard rich texture The Inheritance naturally receives the wealth of inspiration the name Swanö has come to guarantee, as it benefits from a structural integrity shown in the likes of Moontower and Edge Of Sanity's releases.

There is a concept supposedly fixing the album's components yet it seems neatly curtailed or made an underlying thread which isn't essential to the record's appreciation. An emphasis on the cleans of Swanö and guest vocalists do bring one's attention back to the tale being told (one concerning the inheritor of an estate in 19th century Sweden) as they fulfill their roles spread album wide before The Inheritance receives a reappraisal in the collective vocal effort "The Wedlock Observation." Placed toward the album's end there is an obvious focus on this track to bringing the theme to the listener's attention before its cessation.

Each track is distinctive with inbuilt fluctuation not sacrificing the flow and the album can be enjoyed without thematic dependence as it isn't overly complicated in terms of the integration of a story and it doesn't alienate those who are just listening for the quality of music. It pulls you into a sequence of memorable songs which owe more stylistically to an extreme edge of progressive metal than to death metal.

The way of ending many of the album's pieces with a sudden termination disrupts the neatly established flow somewhat yet also seems to enhance or announce, prior to a brief pause, the arrival of the coming transition to a new track. "Dying For The Sun" will have you fooled in that regard as silence ensues toward its end before surprising with a final growl.

Much of the creativity is housed within the initial stages as "Dying For The Sun", for example, shifts through a staggering range of varied passages from its first strums initially laid bare then enhanced with keyboard effects and a sullen repetition of the track's title, all of which slowly fades to reveal a left to right guitar crunch whilst cleverly maintaining a resolute rhythm. And that's just getting things started. Plus it features some ye olde "Moog" synth work, assuredly giving it that authentic progressive rock feel.

The impressionable sense of melody is best felt in tracks like "Dead For A Day", one of those songs whose riffs and growled chorus live long in the memory after the album's end. To aid recollection the keyboards hold a prominent role, especially on "The Math Of The Myth" with its clapping of hands to place added emphasis on the quick beat.

An expected level of quality is assured with such a respected musician playing a formative role and this level is easily maintained with the wealth of ideas in The Inheritance.


Rating breakdown
Performance: 8
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 8
Production: 9





Written on 13.08.2013 by R'Vannith enjoys music, he's hoping you do too.


Comments

Comments: 16   Visited by: 365 users
13.08.2013 - 18:27
Zap
Guest
"An expected level of quality is assured with such a respected musician playing a formative role and this level is easily maintained with the wealth of ideas in The Inheritance."
I completely agree. While this album didn't exactly blow me away, I do think Dan Swanö always guarantees some quality material.
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14.08.2013 - 02:24
Mattybu

This has caught my attention especially the inclusion of the Gentle Giant cover. sounds like it will be good.
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14.08.2013 - 03:13
Diverge

I've been meaning to check this one out. Your review has definitely captured my attention.
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14.08.2013 - 05:03
Rating: 8
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Written by Mattybu on 14.08.2013 at 02:24

This has caught my attention especially the inclusion of the Gentle Giant cover. sounds like it will be good.


I should have mentioned it in the review but that cover was a really good choice. One of GG's edgiest tunes and I've gotta say they do brilliant interpretation of it! The Priest cover was an interesting choice too, sounds very nice though.
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14.08.2013 - 13:30
Rating: 9
M C Vice
ex-polydactyl
Does Swano use his deep singing voice on this?
----
"Another day, another Doug."
"I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples."
" 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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14.08.2013 - 15:20
Mattybu

Written by R'Vannith on 14.08.2013 at 05:03

I should have mentioned it in the review but that cover was a really good choice. One of GG's edgiest tunes and I've gotta say they do brilliant interpretation of it! The Priest cover was an interesting choice too, sounds very nice though.


Awesome. It's one of my favourite Gentle Giant songs. I really want to hear this now.
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14.08.2013 - 16:53
Written by M C Vice on 14.08.2013 at 13:30

Does Swano use his deep singing voice on this?


He does a lot of clean singing, yeah. It's really an excellent album. One of the best this year.
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15.08.2013 - 04:22
Mr. Blonde

I'm a big fano of Swano. I was really looking forward to this, but... then I sort of forgot about it entirely. I need to check this out pronto.
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15.08.2013 - 08:15
Rating: 9
Monolithic
♠♠♠
Fresh ideas, quality, balance, this album has it all. Thanks for the review.
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15.08.2013 - 10:20
Rating: 9
M C Vice
ex-polydactyl
Written by HitokiriNate85 on 14.08.2013 at 16:53

Written by M C Vice on 14.08.2013 at 13:30

Does Swano use his deep singing voice on this?


He does a lot of clean singing, yeah. It's really an excellent album. One of the best this year.

But is it his deeper voice (the one he used on Therion's Theli)?
----
"Another day, another Doug."
"I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples."
" 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
Loading...
15.08.2013 - 17:10
Rating: 8
R'Vannith
ghedengi
Written by M C Vice on 15.08.2013 at 10:20

Written by HitokiriNate85 on 14.08.2013 at 16:53

Written by M C Vice on 14.08.2013 at 13:30

Does Swano use his deep singing voice on this?


He does a lot of clean singing, yeah. It's really an excellent album. One of the best this year.

But is it his deeper voice (the one he used on Therion's Theli)?

He doesn't use clean vocals that deep, no.
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15.08.2013 - 17:42
Rating: 7
tea[m]ster
Au Pays Natal
Dunno about this release. Production is kinda shaky to me and the cleans remind me of Symphony X which is ok if I wanted a straight prog album. Weird because right now there are two people across the pond that I usually love anything associated with them: Jari Lindholm & Dan Swano.
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rekt
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15.08.2013 - 21:15
Daniell
_爱情_
As much as I love Dan Swano, this one fails to incite any warm feelings in me. Perhaps I should give it more than two chances.
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16.08.2013 - 05:41
psykometal
A staff guy...
Written by Daniell on 15.08.2013 at 21:15

As much as I love Dan Swano, this one fails to incite any warm feelings in me. Perhaps I should give it more than two chances.

Third times a charm?
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~Zep, Database and Forum Moderation~

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17.08.2013 - 19:29
MuhannadQandah

I love everything that has to do with Dan Swano!
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17.09.2015 - 14:28
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
I like the way you speak about this one, but I disagree about gothic atmosphere , here is some atmosphere but not gothic, anyway brilliant masterpiece
----
Life is to short for LOVE, there is many great things to do online !!!

Stormtroopers of Death - ''Speak English or Die''
apos;'
[image]
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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