A fantastically melodic variation of progressive metal.

Norway is again home to another fine new progressive metal band. This group of young musicians collectively known as Withem will, I suggest, go down exceedingly well with the prog cognoscente who read this magazine. They perform a fantastically melodic variation of progressive metal, bringing to mind such bands as Circus Maximus, Seventh Wonder, Pagan’s Mind and Cloudscape.

Formed in 2011, Withem decided to first hone their musical skills by playing many live dates in and around Oslo. They also released some demo tracks through their website, which helped to further whet fans appetites. These live shows and demos brought the band to the attention of the folks over at Sensory/The Laser’s Edge, who signed them immediately, sending them into the studio as soon as they possibly could to record their debut album ‘The Point Of You’.

What a debut it is as well, driven melodic guitar solos, potent keyboards, a killer rhythm section and a singer who has a voice not unlike that of Tommy Karevik (Seventh Wonder/Kamelot), are all thrown into a melting pot, cooked until everything is just right and then this musical feast is served up to us, in a set of songs that seer the flesh from your bones as they are played. Try out just a few of these songs, such as ‘Burned By Senses’, ‘Born To Live’, ‘Miracle’ and ‘Phrenesis’ and marvel at just how consummate and exciting this band are. Then let us come to the song called ‘The Paramount Of Lies’ which is seven minutes plus of breathtaking complexity. The keyboards, guitars, vocals, bass and drums all pull together to forge a song that is easily one of the best tracks I have heard this year; it is simply stunning.

Special praise must be heaped upon vocalist Ole Aleksander Wagenius, whose power, versatility and range helps propel the wonderful music of Withem to its forceful denouement.

With their amazing debut album ‘The Point Of You’, filled as it is with skilfully crafted songs, strong production values and striking musicianship, Withem have gone a long way in forcing themselves into the upper echelons of the progressive metal genre.

If the debut’s as good as this, I can’t wait to see what they’ll come up with for album number two. BUY!

Ian Johnson