Review: Atlanta doom metal institution, Withered assault your senses with Verloren!

Withered have been a dominating force in Atlanta’s heavier music scene since their inception in 2003. To date, they have released four, full-length albums and their fifth album Verloren is set to be released on 6/24/2021. We at Concert Hopper were lucky enough to be invited to preview the album before it’s full release and we would like to share our thoughts with you.

Before we begin though, allow us a moment to introduce those of you not familiar with Withered the band and their concept. As mentioned, the band was originally formed in 2003 by guitarist and vocalist Mike Thompson and ex-guitarist and vocalist Chris Freeman who had worked together in the Atlanta grind band Social Infestation (who also featured Mastodon’s Troy Sanders). Since then the band has attained a sort of cult status, straddling the line between underground and having a fanatic following. The band takes an experimental approach to their brand, whether that be their albums or their stage setup. This leads to a new experience whether it’s your first show or your fourth. They take this creativity into their albums and it shows on Verloren.

Right from the gates, the album sets the tone for what is to come with “By Tooth in Tongue”. You’re welcomed to the album with hushed moans and static followed by dissonant guitar tones. It’s like you sat down to listen to an album and instead showed up at your own funeral in the best of ways. It’s not long though before heavily, distorted guitar riffs kick in and jar you out of the ethereal realm and into what this album truly is… a punishing barrage that pays homage to the black metal greats that paved the way for bands like Withered.

As you continue through the track list, it’s not hard to forget that this album is from a band out of Atlanta, Georgia and not a gang of guys in corpse paint in Sweden, as cliché as that may sound. The trope exists for a reason though and Withered does nothing if not remind their listeners of the potential for black metal to be powerful and thought provoking all at the same time as it is dark and eerie. It’s also worth noting that the band has released a music video for this song.

One of the aspects of Withered that I find most fascinating is that the band made a deliberate choice to not hire anyone to produce their albums to prohibit their content from being filtered through anyone’s lens but their own. This plays out in unique and intriguing ways across the album. What the listener gets in return is an often raw and punishing assault on all of the senses. This is because the structure of the album, from the vocal tones, the lyrics, and the instruments all force you to absorb the content with not just your ears but your mind, provoking one to think and to reflect on the music and on one’s self. I think that this plays well into what the band wanted to accomplish with the album which was to lean into the “funereal doom world” and veer away the southern doom that had taken root in Georgia and the surrounding areas.

“Casting in Wait”, the fourth track of the record seems to come out of nowhere, picking up the pace and introducing the listener to just how versatile Withered can be. The guitar meanders along the fret board alongside blistering drums that soon make their way into beloved, blast beat country. All of this sets the table for the roaring vocals to pummel those listening to a steady head bang before taking on a whirlwind by a beautiful, melodic guitar solo.

In case the funereal aspect hasn’t been driven home enough in this review, allow me to point your attention to track five, “Passing Through”. The song is less a musical barrage but a sonic assault using recordings taken by Mike Thompson at a family funeral. These recordings have been heavily filtered and altered to create a track that, in all honesty, is uncomfortable to listen to and I believe that this is intentional, it, like the rest of the album is thought-provoking.

Just when you think to yourself, “I’ve figured out Withered” the title track “Verloren” fades wistfully into hearing range, riding the fading reverb of the guitar leftover from …”The Long Hurt”, the previous track. What you’re then introduced to is the beautiful and haunting tone of an acoustic guitar, buffered behind a solemn and more distorted guitar riff. As the song journeys forward there’s the deep bellow of a distorted bass and it all feels quite fantastical. This song is an artfully composed piece that, for me, a largely uncultured swine who just finds himself adoring metal, is an absolute masterpiece. Even without the support of vocals that most bands rely so heavily on for creating an atmosphere.

All of this is closed out by the final track, “Ashen Shores”. This album has left me with the sense that I’ve been carried along on an adventure the entire time. And this last track sent me crashing into the climax of this epic journey. It’s a beautiful medley of many of the components we’ve seen before, distortion-heavy doom metal riffs, melodic guitar solos, an ambient static, blistering vocals and pounding drums. One of the departures from Withered’s norm is displayed more clearly than anywhere else on this album with the introduction of clean vocals. All of this ties together to create an 8:21 tumble that is the culmination and embodiment of what Withered is; a genre-bending and line-blurring metal powerhouse.

Pick up your copy of Verloren from Season of Mist along with a ton of other awesome band merch (like a sweet patch if your battle jacket needs some TLC).

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