Sweden's Decomposed began in 2010 as a one man death metal project. Within a year, a demo had emerged followed by the self-titled LP the following year. The solo act grew into a full band with further releases and live performances, but internal struggles led to all members besides composer/founder Jesper Ekstål departing from the project. The new album, Wither, despite featuring only Jeper and drummer Emil Leijon, is a blackened testament to perserverance, and possibly one of the best death metal albums to come out this year.
The vocals on Wither completely subjugate the listener with their grimy old school delivery. It's difficult to put into words what makes a death growl perfectly imposing as opposed to annoying gargling, but this guy deserves all of those words. It's something in the snarl and premeditated cadence. "By Nothingness Crowned" alone seems to put one under a spell. The guitars are capable of similar as on the doomy "Void," but largely they prefer to keep things fast and filled with a blackened edge. The compramise between fercious tremolos and crusty death metal is perfection.
Despite the intensely brutish aesthetic of the album in general, there is an impressive command of pacing and subtle shifts throughout the duration. "Submerged" is a fine microcosm of this point with its impressive array of styles showcased within just 5 minutes time. Bouncy, mid-paced headbanging, relentless blastbeats, sludgy outros; all of these are woven expertly together with nary a stutter between them. In terms of overal theme, one need only read through the track list. "Downwards," "Drenched in Wounds," "Into Nothing"...these songs live up to their names in their nihilist descent ever further into a black pit of hopelessness.
If you enjoy both old school death metal and the modern touches of blackened death, you ought to give this one a gander. Decomposed have managed to create a powerful and strangely enjoyable dive into the deepest chasms of hell. The titles, cover art, and instrumentation are all the perfet embodiment of everything menacing and empty. I have had a fantastic time listening to this one over and over again. I just can't get enough of it. It's out today, so be the next one to get addicted.