Withered is a Black/Death Metal act that resides in Atlanta, Georgia. The group formed back in 2003, and was originally signed to Lifeforce Records for their debut full-length, then signed to Prosthetic Records for their follow-up. Two years after that release, the group returns with their monsterous third effort, Dualias, and brings a more refined sound to their musical that can only be described at times as brutal, but that is far fromt he only way to describe the material recorded for this effort.
One of the huge perks to this recording is the atmosphere throughout. Dualitas has a rather raw recording quality, which aids the heavily distorted guitars and pounding drumming nicely to create a very heavy, burdening atmosphere. While the music is often fast, it isn't just all blast beats, and really bridges the gaps nicely between second and third generations of Black Metal, while also retaining a punishing Death Metal feeling that is complimented by harsh, higher pitched rhasps that cut the listener like razors. Included in all this are moments that act more as Slam Death Metal breakdowns, but are composed in a way that it feeds off the melancholic feel that the music gives off. This is shown nicely right from the start with "Extinguished with the Weary", a highly impressive track that really shows off the band's skill, as well as some more matured material.
While the music can often go between a brutal and depressive atmosphere, coming off as an all-around hopeless environment set by the music, there's also some Droning Black Metal concetps added into the mix that appear quite often through the release. While this can be a very beneficial aspect of the music, it also can be a bit of a downfall. Following the heavy "Extinguished With the Weary" comes the track "Residue in the Void", which starts off dark and depressive with a Droning touch, but as the song continues it picks up, and never really feels like it goes anywhere, sticking to one specific droning pattern that, after a brief while, does start to become boring and feel drawn out longer then it should have been. Luckily, there aren't many tracks that seem to drone on endlessly in such a repetitive manner, as other songs that come up on this recording, such as "The Progenitor's Grasp", still retain that brutal, yet depressive atmosphere with just the right amount of Droning in the guitars and drumming. There's also Aethereal Breath", the longest track on the recording, which has a few moments that seem to overstay their welcome, but for the most part the song moves along nicely, shifting between certain tempos and atmospheres nicely without becoming drawn out, staying fluid from start to finish. The only problem is that none of the tracks quite live up to the atmosphere and energy showcased on "Extinguished With the Weary".
Dualitas offers the listener plenty in the line of variation in the music, though the general approach is the same through many of the tracks. The material can be both brutalizing, as well as melancholic, or simply one of the two. But, the Droning atmosphere of the music becomes a handicap, either aiding the music nicely, or hinding it either dramatically, or just slightly due to an increasing amount of repetition that doesn't generally go on for too long. Either way, the material on here is well orchestrated and leaves a lasting impression on the listener for much of the album, though some of the tracks around "Interlude" start to lose some of their impact, and "Extinguished With the Weary" is clearly the album's flagship song, but the album has enough solid tracks to give this release plenty of replay quality past the initial couple spins.
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