Withered Memento Mori

I really hate it when one or two undesirable aspects of an album cast a bad shadow across the entire piece. That's what I deal with when I listen to Memento Mori, which is Withered's first full-length. There are two things that I don't like about this album, and I just can't get past them. To be fair, Withered has a good thing going on and I can tell their focus is in the right place. It seems like these guys are going for a sound not unlike Dismember mixed with a healthy dose of Southern metal. To me, this sounds like an excellent mix of styles and I think these guys could go very far with this. Many songs are upbeat or mid-tempo, and there are some very heavy, pounding, slow parts. These slower parts are great, and it's all accompanied by a strong vocal performance. At times, I'm almost reminded of Crowbar, though not as thick. The vocals are quite deep and are complimented by a midrange scream at points. The drum work (from what I can clearly make out) is solid and tight. Overall, there are some great dynamics throughout. I don't feel like I'm listening to the same song again and again. My first complaint is Withered's attempt at playing speedy death metal. Any time these guys try and blast through a riff, it sounds forced and unnatural. The picking seems weak, and the drums get ahead of the guitars at points. While these moments are few, they are quite obvious and put a damper on an otherwise great metal song. My second (and biggest) complaint would have to be the choices made for this production. I admire the attempt at recreating a Sunlight Studios sound, but this falls way short. I've listened to this CD on a few different stereos and the low end just bottoms out, which makes it difficult to catch everything that's going on. During some songs, it sounds like there might be a great, melodic guitar lead, but it's just so damn hard for me to make it out. Except for the snare, the drum tones are fairly flat and weak. It's a shame that Withered couldn't get a better recording. Their sound would benefit so much from tones that were more crisp. I know Entombed and Dismember benefit from that gnarly guitar tone, but Withered is neither of those bands. Bottom Line: This is a solid debut album for sure. I really wish I could get past the sub-par recording, but sometimes it can just ruin a listening experience. Withered has some great ideas going on for the entirety of Memento Mori and in the future, I would love to hear them explore more of the slower, sludgy aspects of their songwriting. Atlanta is only a couple of hours from me, so I'm definitely going to keep an eye out for these guys. If you aren't bothered by production choices, then I highly recommend giving this album a chance, especially if you are a fan of Dismember or maybe Bolt Thrower.