WITHERFALL: Curse Of Autumn (MELODIC METAL): review / opinion to read on Music Waves

After two well-received first albums, Witherfall is back at the beginning of this year 2021 with an increased ambition. For the sound, the Americans called upon three big names in the metal world with Jon Schaffer (Demons & Wizards, Iced Earth) on production and Jim Morris (Savatage, Death) on mixing and finally Tom Morris (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) on mastering. To complete this dream team, an exceptional drummer was added to the already very qualitative line-up of the quartet: Marco Minnemann, the man with a thousand projects (The Aristocrats, ex-Steven Wilson in particular).

Despite these changes, the melodic metal aspect of the music of Witherfall has not moved one iota, as confirmed by the short introduction 'Deliver Us Into The Arms Of Eternal Silence'. There are also some very classical inspirations like on the single 'The Last Scar' which looks like speed metal with its very sustained rhythmic like Stratovarius, or the instrumental 'The Unyielding Grip Of Each Passing Day' which sounds like classical music on steroids.

Overall, the emphasis is put on the efficiency of the songs, very direct and quite memorable in terms of vocal lines, which does not prevent the band to be very technical while remaining extremely clean. In this register, 'The Other Side Of Fear' certainly pulls its pin, testifying to the incredible voice of Joseph Michael, very powerful and able to reach very high notes.

The Americans like to play with nuances, starting some songs on the piano and then ramping up. The power ballad 'Another Face' is a good example of this, with its refrain nevertheless quite electric and with a slower tempo than usual. 'Tempest' with its eight minutes also offers beautiful and diversified atmospheres, enriched by folk guitar, a double pedal, a very melancholic chorus and riffs sometimes almost black metal.

This incursion into progressive metal is confirmed through the last track of fifteen minutes '...And They All Blew Away'. After a Pain Of Salvation-like beginning, the track has a much more marked Dream Theater influence on the instrumental passages, in the choice of sounds but also in the approach of the often complex rhythmic signatures. It must be admitted that the quartet does well despite this demanding and unusual format in this style. Beside that, these assets are somewhat marred by some patterns a little too classic, like the single 'As I Lie Awake' and its phoned chorus or the ballad 'The River' also suffering from a rather pushy chorus.

"Curse Of Autumn" is therefore an album betting on efficiency, without being very original. It remains a beautiful record of melodic metal, catchy, relatively balanced and diversified, but also brilliantly executed. - Official website

WITHERFALL

CURSE OF AUTUMN

CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS

MELODIC METAL