Review: Withered Earth

Withered Earth
“Of Which They Bleed”
(Olympic)

Withered Earth offer death metal infused with a touch of the good old grind.  I like them more in traditional death metal mode than I do when they’re playing ridiculous full-bore blast beats and “ar-ar-ar-arrring” away.  The problem with modern death metal, from a reviewer’s stand point, is that there’s so much of it around, and it seems that just getting signed means you’re at the top of the heap.  For every signed death metal band you see there are a thousand more hidden in your walls without contracts.

I recommend you tent the place and blast a ten-ton drum of TNT up the hose.  I know, we can’t get rid of death metal bands like roaches, and I’m way off my point.  Withered Earth are solid performers, good musicians and have a mighty fine album with tippy-top production, and if I gave them a bad review it would simply be mean and nasty of me.  There’s nothing that can be picked apart on this album and held up as a glowing example of why they fail, but it seems to be the same with every other signed death metal band lately, so keep that in mind.