4. Witherscape - The Northern Sanctuary
I’ve made it clear many times that I’m a Dan Swano fanboy. However, I’m not totally unobjective: for instance, I didn’t love the latest Nightingale record. However, I’ve been smitten with Witherscape since their debut, and their latest is everything I hoped it would be.
The Northern Sanctuary picks up where debut The Inheritance and The New Tomorrow EP left off, both musically and lyrically. The story is sort of King Diamond-esque, which is a big plus in my book. Musically, it’s a mash-up between Opeth-inspired progressive death metal and 70′s hard rock, which works so much better than you’d think. Guitarist Ragnar Widerberg pulls it all off beautifully, deftly switching between progressive riffing and hard rawk licks often in the same track.
But the star of the show is Swano, who handles all of the vocals. His death growls have long been among the very best in the genre, but his clean vocals have become their equal. It’s a gruff, bluesy howl that sounds like it comes straight out of some obscure, dust-covered rock record from the 70′s that reeks of denim and cheap swill.
For those still lamenting Mikael Akerfeldt’s move to full-on prog, Witherscape might be the band to scratch your itch. The Northern Sanctuary finds a band who have quickly reached the top of their game. Start here musically, and then you’ll be ready to move backwards to the death metal Doobie Brothers of The Inheritance.