With the way Heavy Metal has evolved, often disproportionally, it is rare to encounter a band able to deliver music true to its roots while still moving the needle forward in terms of creativity, delivery, and intent.  An appropriate example would be a band like NEVERMORE in how it was not so much an extension of SANCTUARY but a more aggressive, brutal venture and its own unique entity.  In today's scene, though, the band that exists in such a unique place would have to be WITHERFALL (as a side note, singer Joseph Michael is also the lead singer for SANCTUARY now with Warrel Dane's passing).  Why exactly in the eight years since this band's inception they have not stood atop the heap and on the tip of everyone's tongue is a question that simply eludes me.  Allow me to make the case then for why WITHERFALL is perhaps one of the most preeminent outfits in the scene today.  After the brief EP, "Vintage," this new full-length, "Curse of Autumn," returns with a savage fire cultivated from within the furnace of true Heavy Metal.

"Deliver Us into the Arms of Eternal Silence" is the intro track that kicks things off.  The way the brief song functions, though, should be of interest for it starts with a foundation of classical guitar.  The arrangement sounds very traditional with an obvious fingerstyle technique yet shortly thereafter, the band uses the same idea but electrified in full Metal glory.  It is an extremely chunky affair like a Neoclassical version of MORBID ANGEL's punishing "Where the Slime Live".

It is with "The Last Scar," though, that things really start taking off.  The riffs are like the intersection between Bach 'n Roll and a more modern, highly structured chorus built by walls of pure chugging goodness.  Any fan of the guitar will no doubt be dazzled by the performances here from the spellbinding leads to the pulverizing breakdown at the 3:30 mark.  This is top shelf Heavy Metal with Joseph Michael's stellar vocal tenacity being the proverbial high gloss finish on this über luxury machine.

As the album plays out, the vibe begins to ingratiate itself into one's mind.  The WITHERFALL formula is one that lends itself naturally to lovers of the traditional album format.  Tracks like the third, "As I Lie Awake," shatter the paradigm that melody, catchiness, and pure heaviness cannot all intermingle in the recipe.  After all, isn't that what initially dazzled us with albums like "Painkiller"?

The production serves to highlight the band's strengths.  Therefore, the double-bass and bass guitar are tightly locked in a dance of carefully syncopated rhythms.  "Another Face," the fourth track, is an excellent illustration of the expanse of the band's sound.  The combination of a haunting verse and a pounding, relentlessly heavy chorus is one the band knows all too well how to exploit.  Perhaps the bottom line is that the sound is one that is both easy to get lost in and perennially impressive.

Whether this band is sailing through the cosmos at light speed or exploring a more visceral rhythm, these are killer songs.  "Curse of Autumn" is in the spirit of greats from QUEENSRYCHE to MESHUGGAH and the landscape of Metal created in between that embodies an adventurous approach with a high degree of polish and technical ability.  It is the meeting of vision and scope.  The beauty of a band like WITHERFALL is that, like many of the greats mentioned, a unique lineup is the catalyst for such greatness.  One can think of it like a band's DNA.  The level of care put into the writing is stunning.  I really could not recommend this album more and its allure and immersion should prove irresistible to even the most discerning Metal fan.