Withem – The Unforgiving Road

[nyrating]

25th June 2016 Kenn Jensen Album Reviews 0

A couple of progressive bands have begun to appear on the Frontiers Records roster: Circus Maximus and now another Norwegian band: Withem. They kicked off their career in 2013 with “The Point of You”, which was released on Sensory Records.

While their debut album was OK it was leaning a bit too much on their more obvious influences: Symphony X, Pagan’s Mind, Dream Theater and Circus Maximus. The same influences are still very apparent on this their sophomore release and while they still wear their influences on their sleeves, they do take a big leap forward with this album. “The Unforgiving Road” is a more complete and rounded album. The combination of progressive metal and power metal sounds good, and Ole Aleksander Wagenius is a rising star on the progressive metal vocalist sky.

Everything else is solid; the sound, the production, the songs and the deliverance. Circus Maximus might have disappointed many fans earlier on this year, but fear not: Withem stands ready to fill the void left behind. A solid release for fans of the above mentioned bands – not breathtaking, but still worth checking out.

Best moments: “The Pain I Collected”, “C’est La Vie” and “The Eye in the Sky”.

Tracklist:

…Intro (2:03)
Exit (5:29)
In the Hands of a God (4:55)
The Pain I Collected (4:17)
Riven (5:52)
C’est La Vie (6:28)
The Eye in the Sky (3:54)
Arrhythmia (3:48)
In My Will (3:29)
Unaffected Love (5:37)
Outro… (1:16)

Playing Time: 48:36

Release date: June 3, 2016

Label: Frontiers Records S.R.l.

Website: Withem @ Facebook

About Kenn Jensen 288 Articles

When I kicked this site off back in 2003, I had no idea that it would turn into what it has become. I am very proud of what we've done and achieved over the years. Musically I have a soft spot for 80s inspired hard rock, but my favourite music and bands are all to be found in the progressive universe these days.