WITHERING SURFACE is a Melodic Death Metal band, from Næstved, Sjælland, Denmark. They were originally formed in 1993 and have taken a few years off, especially since 2005, when the band originally did a farewell show. The band has since reactivated since 2019 and this is their upcoming release for June 19^th 2020 on the Mighty Music label entitled "Meet Your Maker".

I discovered these guys way back in a used cd store here in Montreal, when I heard the album "Nude Ballet", I loved how it had that melodic death guitar sound, yet the vocals were more on the black metal side of the spectrum, closer to the early CHILDREN OF BODOM style. Here we are 20 years later and I have the chance to review their latest opus. The album starts off with a very dark fade in effect in "Meet Your Maker", I would eve venture to say it is very doom metal influenced. It eventually transitions into a faster and more Swedish melodic style. The vocals are more KREATOR now and even the music is thrashier and groovier. I am not saying it is a copy, far from it, but you can certainly hear the German metal masters influence here. The slower tempo was not what I was expecting as an opener, but the style meshes very well and is a nice progression from their earlier material.

"Raised Right" borrows more on the black metal/Viking genre, but the overall pace is relatively the same. There are some added voice effects (similar to what has been used in DIMMU BORGIR. I think the best comparison I could make is that this song has that modern-day SATYRICON structure, meaning a slower approach, while remaining very ominous in its tone. But if you like your melodic death with a punch then you will love "Alone". It is highly reminiscent of the early days of SOILWORK during the "Steel Bath Suicide" era. It is harsh and straight to the point. There are some slower passages, but even those parts sound incredibly evil. The song goes back to the faster intro past halfway and ends with that same intensity, almost in abrupt fashion.

The slow-pounding "Room 417" really has that old-school flavor, and what made IN FLAMES so highly praised in the early 1990s is highly present here. I guess this track is a cross between ARCH ENEMY, CHILDREN OF BODOM and the aforementioned Swedish legends. The perfect blend of groove, melody, fast riffing and piercing solos. This brings us to the headbanging masterpiece that is "In a City Without Soul", an in-your-face number with an easy to follow drum pattern, some black metal finger picking, a tinge of keyboards and a MORS PRINCIPIUM EST style of melodies and intensity. For me, this is a definite single-worthy song.

The highly energetic "Leaves in the Storm" should definitely turn some heads as well and it seems to emulate a lot of the band's early sound and influences. It will appeal to fans of CHILDREN OF BODOM for sure. The closer "The Apprentice" follows some of the patterns of the its predecessors with a mix of harsh vocals, genuine melodic portions and controlled violence.

What impressed me the most with this album was how the band's sound has matured after all this time. It still has that pure aggression, filled with guitar melodies that go on for days, but everything sounds very professional, perfected and built on experience. The point is that this style does not need to be all guns blazing all the time, it can breathe and share intensity by mixing up the tempos and this album does it amazingly well. If you miss high quality melodic death metal, with black metal and doom influences, this should satisfy your needs in 2020.