Their title clearly implies a level of aggression and loads of darkness, however WITHERING SCORN are a way more melodic and conventional beast than that. Brothers Shawn and Glenn Drover, arguably greatest identified for significantly fruitful stints as members of MEGADETH, be part of forces right here with bassist Joe DiBiase (ex-FATES WARNING) and vocalist Henning Basse (ex-METALIUM, FIREWIND and MAYAN),for a sincerely brutal however eminently accessible train in heavy fucking steel. “Prophets Of Demise” eschews all of the cheeriness and pep of recent energy steel in favor of red-blooded crunch and a state-of-the-art, prog-tinged pace steel assault. It is completely ripping.

Followers of VICIOUS RUMORS, BRAINSTORM and METAL CHURCH will likely be in raptures over this, not least as a result of WITHERING SCORN have a comparable present for penning large, muscular anthems that showcase the talents of all these concerned. The Drovers previous work in EIDOLON is a good reference level too, however every thing from the title monitor onwards reveals a militant enthusiasm for steel in its unabashed, purest type. At occasions, on the livid “Choose Up the Items” and the joyously gnarly “Dethroned”, WITHERING SCORN weave technical thrash and faint shades of melodic loss of life steel into their sound, however because of Basse‘s distinctive vocal vary, the tip end result has most in frequent with the greats of ’80s American energy steel. These songs incessantly soar, at the same time as they wreak havoc on one’s neck muscle mass. Elsewhere, “The Imaginative and prescient” is a feast of mid-tempo punch, with not less than two enormous, gleaming hooks, whereas “By no means Once more” and “Darkish Reflections” are each refined examples of the ability of a sub-four-minute steel music. The latter, specifically, oozes malevolent intent, and sums up WITHERING SCORN‘s pitch-black remit completely.

A robust debut by any requirements, “Prophets of Demise” is book-ended by its two best songs. The title monitor is a riot of groove and grit, with Basse on commanding type and Glen Drover‘s explosive soloing entrance and middle, however it’s additionally a subtly intricate and epic development. Even higher is the closing “Everlasting Screams”: an eight-minute ballad with an unholy coronary heart, and among the hardest, most truculent chug this facet of traditional METALLICA. Once more, Basse sings his head off, demonstrating significantly extra character and charisma than his work with the nice however overly polished METALIUM ever allowed.

The clincher right here is that WITHERING SCORN sound like a correct band, slightly than some transient side-project, and regardless of solely skimming the floor of the quartet’s self-evident potential, “Prophets of Demise” seems like the beginning of one thing particular. Nostril-flattening heavy fucking steel, carried out by specialists? Sure, sir. Extremely really useful.