Withering Soul - Passage of the Arcane

#FOR FANS OF: Melodic Black Metal

If I could give this a rating in my realm of thought, it would be 1000%/100%! I was diligently waiting for about 4 years after 'Last Contact' (2021) was released, only to find that this LP here, would be in the “superior reign” over all of their discography. They’re not so much abandoning their dark black metal-esque style but rather blending it into an eerie vibe that’s chilling, ambient and warped. I would venture to say it reflects more melodic black metal than anything else, with a tint of evil atmospheric chaos in the sound throughout the recording.

The music is sort of like (to me) blackened death metal reflective of some bands such as Witchery, but possibly a bit darker. Or maybe also similar to the incredible LP 'At the Heart of Winter.' I mean, in that It's got that sort of atmospheric touch to it that reflects that period in time (1998) for the band Immortal. Even a little more modern like Old Man's Child with the drums double kicking, guitar tone/sound and the "dry" recording taste to it. Chris Grim did mention wanting Withering Soul's material to have that touch of Abyss Studios vibe to it, like that 'ATHOW' LP that I mentioned.

Brilliant song titles and lyrics of which the focus is on mainly ghosts, horror, the paranormal, and Death. Not really subjects I read about much, but the themes work well with their style of music and keep it underground.

I feel that I'm not "overrating" this LP, but yet, giving the band the justice they deserve on making a great sound conglomeration of music. Upon release of their first LP entitled 'Apparitions of the Surreal' in 2004, the band went through lineup changes, but they've also grown quite a lot since that debut. Some bands do progress musically and some just keep releasing the same LPs every 3-4 years that's basically the same sort of thing just a new album title and lyrics, musically it's the same recycled garbage. WS keeps improving musically and they're experimenting with new sounds without abandoning their dark black metal-Esque roots.

I found that I liked the songs "Attrition Horizon" and "Gallery to the End" the most, but check out the entire LP on their bandcamp website.

Withering Soul has their own sound, though as I pointed out, these above bands give you an idea what to expect. Not entirely, but at least you have some material now in your head on what will come out of your headphones or speakers! And again, please take a listen to the entire 41+ minute LP 'Passage of the Arcane', it'll blow your mind! Don't pass this up, it's one of the top metal albums from 2025 with a touch of black/blackened death/death metal all in one recording! (Death8699)

(Liminal Dread Productions - 2025)

Score: 90

https://witheringsoul.bandcamp.com/album/passage-of-the-arcane

Withering Soul - Last Contact

http://www.secret-face.com/

#FOR FANS OF: Melo Black, Dissection

Darkness reveled here in the form of minor chords galore via Chris, et al. This one is a notch better than 'Adverse Portrait'. It simply has more substance to it and better constructed riffs, ABSOLUTELY! They've come a long way since their debut which was in an entirely different genre. Still metal just more on the gothic side. This one (like their last) is in melodic black metal. It takes some listens to to get really the overall essence of it. And the songs averaged around 4-5 minutes in length, which is enough for you to get a taste in what goes in to the high volume channel! Definitely progression here, no doubt.

A 4-piece now but in the recording it featured only three. And their stage presence is totally lit up. Within the influence of Dark Fortress, Naglfar and Darkthrone, they kind of carve their way into their own sound. I think that's a little of what they lacked in their previous. On here, there's a good sound in what they have to offer in their own synthesis of melodic black metal. I like this one a lot I think it's their their absolute greatest effort since they formed. Definitely not one to play on a depressing day though which I think it was called upon their darkness visible (William Styron). It's just great to hear their musical abilities are getting better.

I'd have to say that their musicianship keeps on getting better and better and I do hope as this gets stronger the band will attract more followers. It's sounds like the vocals have some effects laced on them kind of like in the realm of Dark Fortress and Dissection's ex-front man Jon (RIP). Nevertheless, it keeps the music underground and depressing. The music and vocals is what steals the show I believe Chris on his 7-string. It's an interesting band that he's amassed here. I'm certain the songwriting took a shit-heap of a lot of work. The riffs stole it for me the music outlining what the vocals accompany them.

This was released on 9/24/21 and it's available via streaming (Spotify/YouTube) and also available on CD. I bought the CD, it's the best way to capture what streaming won't allow: BETTER QUALITY SOUND. They play as good live as they do on the LP. I was waiting for this to get on CD so everything sort of feels flowing not simply going from track to track with major pauses and poor sound quality (my computer). A good album to listen to while you're exercising for all you fitness fanatic metalheads. Let's pay a token of respect to the band and inform friends that are interested in new releases in metal. 'Last Contact' is out, now get a hold of it! (Death8699)

(Mortal Music - 2021)
Score: 80

https://witheringsoul.bandcamp.com/album/last-contact