WITHERSCAPE — The Inheritance (review)

WITHERSCAPE — The Inheritance album cover Album · 2013 · Death Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4/5 ·
J-Man
It's been a while since we've heard an album of new material from Swedish metal veteran Dan Swanö, but with the recent debut from Witherscape (his new project with Ragnar Widerberg), it's clear that he is still a force to be reckoned with when it comes to progressive and melodic death metal. Entitled The Inheritance, this 2013 release for Century Media Records walks a fine line between melodic death metal, prog, and hard rock, and although it sounds noticeably different from the works of Edge of Sanity or Nightingale, Witherscape still has a unique Swanö stamp to set itself apart from other acts exploring similar musical territory.

It's worth pointing out that fans of lethal death metal in the vein of Unorthodox-era Edge of Sanity might not fully enjoy the sleek and melodic sound of Witherscape, but those with ears open towards catchy melodeath should find plenty to love here. Tracks like the progressive “Astrid Falls”, wonderfully epic “Dying For the Sun”, and eery “Crawling From Validity” stand as some of the strongest compositions penned so far this year, and everything on the album is delivered professionally. In addition to a powerful sound production, Dan Swanö's vocals (both clean and growled) sound as powerful as ever and Ragnar Widerberg's fretwork is strong across the board.

I guess that a few of the choruses throughout The Inheritance sound a bit too predictable for my tastes (particularly in “To The Calling of Blood and Dreams”), but there's no doubt that Dan Swanö has made a triumphant return to the metal scene with Witherscape's debut. Although I wouldn't place it in the same tier of excellence as Crimson or The Closing Chronicles, The Inheritance is a mighty impressive observation that fans of progressive melodic death metal should really enjoy. Great stuff!
Share this review
more

Review Comments

Post a public comment below | Send private message to the reviewer
Please login to post a shout
J-Man wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yeah, not much can compete with "Crimson" IMO. That one really is a game-changer!
UMUR wrote:
more than 2 years ago
I´m listening to this one right now too, and my review will probably be pretty similar to yours. It´s great to have Dan back writing his own material again, but yeah it´s not on "Crimson" level, but not many releases are.

Review Index

Member Zone

Username:
Password:
Stay signed in

Metal Subgenres

Artists Alpha-index

MMA TOP 5 Metal ALBUMS

Rating by members, ranked by custom algorithm
Albums with 30 ratings and more
Master of Puppets Thrash Metal
METALLICA
Buy this album from our partners
Paranoid Heavy Metal
BLACK SABBATH
Buy this album from our partners
Moving Pictures Hard Rock
RUSH
Buy this album from our partners
Powerslave NWoBHM
IRON MAIDEN
Buy this album from our partners
Rising Heavy Metal
RAINBOW
Buy this album from our partners

New Metal Artists

New Metal Releases

Eye Of Horus (Lightmatter EP Pt. 2) Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Galaxy888 (Lightmatter EP Pt. 1) Deathcore
EARTHGAZER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Caedes Animarum Deathcore
INVISIBLE SPHERE
Buy this album from MMA partners
Empty Doom Metal
BONGRIPPER
Buy this album from MMA partners
Shadowflame Deathcore
BREATH OF SINDRAGOSA
Buy this album from MMA partners
More new releases

New Metal Online Videos

Agremorta - Adrocitas (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 3 days ago
Agremorta - Ploratus Umbra (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 3 days ago
Agremorta - Vertex Membrana (Official Lyric Video)
AGREMORTA
Bosh66· 3 days ago
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR - The Temple Of Curved Space (Official Track Stream)
HAIL SPIRIT NOIR
adg211288· 3 days ago
In Sulfur - The Gate (OFFICIAL VIDEO) 2022
IN SULFUR
Bosh66· 3 days ago
More videos

New MMA Metal Forum Topics

More in the forums

New Site interactions

More...

Latest Metal News

members-submitted

More in the forums

Social Media

Follow us
Follow us on Twitter Become a Facebook fan RSS Feed