Writhing Shadows – Writhing Shadows

Death Metal from the Deep South; Birmingham, Alabama based Writhing Shadows have been rather busy since their 2020 inception. Multiple demo, split and EP’s releases; even a compilation! And now the band have unleashed a self-titled full length opus on both CD and cassette through labels Gurgling Gore and Dawnbreed Records.

Writhing Shadows have a pugnacious feel to their style; a battering no nonsense approach that manifests itself into a sublimely bass heavy sound that sports a very deep groove to the rhythms, and an edgy, raw tint to the guitar leads. The vocal work of Cam White is suitably growling in style but has an added element of attitude to it that you don’t often find in Death Metal vocals, whilst the drumming display is decidedly old school and uncompromising throughout the albums duration.

Whilst some bands of a Death Metal persuasion focus solely on brutality, Writhing Shadows have a sound that likes to feature each individual performance to its absolutely maximum whilst staying true as a cohesive whole. So for example, the riffs on this album are showcased throughout, as is the crippling amount of bass leads. You can appreciate them separately very easily, yet when they combine the results are spectacular.  The same goes for the drumming display which focuses often on pummelling and battering, but also is utilized well in building anticipation thought subtle symbol strokes.

This is a forth right album that slams and slays throughout. However, it is far more than that, and the level of songcraft on offer here is very high!