It's obvious that Swedish and North American Death Metal Schools are usually named when the genre is in the center of any discussion. But it seems that people forget another School, as important as these two: The English Death Metal School, the one who gave the world names as BOLT THROWER, BENEDICTION, MEMORIAM, PARADISE LOST, MY DYING BRIDE and others influent pioneers of the genre (the last two created Doom Death Metal with ANATHEMA). And the fountain is not dry yet, as can be heard on WRITHING SHADOWS first album, "Writhing Shadows".

They work on a traditional English Old School Death Metal, bearing some resemblances on elements of the names written above. Yes, they keep things in the most classic way, even with the use of Old School instrumental tunes to make things nearer of what Death Metal was during the early days of the Second Wave of the genre (between the years of 1989 and 1991). As a first album, the band shows a lot of potential, but it needs to mature a bit more to have a more personalized work, because what's heard reflects their influences, but lacks to express their own. As anyone could expect from the words above, the band prefers to use a sonority that bears the crude and rough approach of the past, even in the instrumental tunes. But you can be calm: it's not so hard to understand what they're expressing on the album's songs.

Hailing from Birmingham, the band has to deal with a responsibility due their hometown being the land that gave the world BLACK SABBATH. And their potential is clear on songs as "Warplust Contortions" (very good guitar riffs with simple rhythmic approach, in a way similar to what can be heard on "Realm of Chaos"), "Valkyrie of Blood" (another very good sets of rhythmic contrasts, with bass guitar and drums working in a good way on the changes of tempos), "Carcass of a Godbeast" (a brutal and oppressive moment, with another simple technical work, but with expressive grunts from the vocals), "Hunted by the Light" (a massive attack of brutality and abrasive aggressiveness due the tempos being not as fast as the usual, allowing the guitars to express catchy riffs) and "Devourment of God's People" (excellent slow moments, a feature that can be explored in a better way in the future), but as stated before, they need to show more of who they are.

For now, "Writhing Shadows" is a good release, but to face the trials that the Death Metal scene has, WRITHING SHADOWS must work a bit more in rehearsals.