In the
Metal world Dan
Swanö really should need no introduction. As one of the cornerstones of the Swedish
Metal scene, he has (officially) performed on more than 30 different albums with bands as diverse as Edge of Sanity,
Bloodbath,
Ribspreader,
Nightingale and Star One to name a few. Dan
Swanö plays a wide range of instruments on his various releases - vocals, drums, guitars, bass and keyboards, sometimes one...and sometimes all!
And of course he's well known for his many excellent production jobs (
Dissection,
Opeth,
Katatonia etc.). Dan
Swanö is a general Smart Arse - extremely talented. Let's hope he's rubbish at sport and crap in bed...
You never really know exactly what style of
Metal you are going to get when Dan
Swanö is involved.
Witherscape is basically a duo-project with the relatively unknown Ragnar Widerberg handling guitar and bass, and
Swanö adding additional bass, keys and all vocals. On first listen, It's very much in the musical style of
Edge Of Sanity's “Crimson II” and
Swanö's “
Moontower” album. The music is definitely of a progressive nature and has all bases covered, ranging from splashes of Melodic Death, through Prog,
Power, Alternative and Traditional
Metal, plus some well placed Acoustic passages. I personally really enjoy anything where
Swanö mixes his vocal styles, going through his entire repertoire and that is what we are treated to throughout “
The Inheritance”. This is also a dark lyrical concept album too!
Maybe I should apologize about banging on so much about Dan
Swanö and ignoring Ragnar Widerberg, it's just I can't find any info on his previous endeavours...he does have a rather splendid enormous moustache, and is a damn fine guitarist/bassist as he proves on this release, so let's hope a collaboration with
Swanö helps launch his musical career. We also aren't given much clue as to the percentage of riffs etc. are contributed by each member, but the listener can certainly pick out
Swanö's influence in the guitar, even if he's not actually playing it.
Progressive
Metal. It's a well-used term that seems to encompass
Dream Theater/
Fates Warning etc. But in this instance, if we start with
Opeth and
Mercenary, and go through to
Riverside and
Ayreon then that gives you a fair clue what to expect on this highly entertaining and enjoyable release.
Anyone craving MFN era
Opeth will surely enjoy the musical structure, style and mixed vocals of opener 'Mother of the Soul' and 'To The Calling of
Blood and Dreams', both of which combine the heavier with the melodic perfectly and set the tone for the whole album.
Both these tracks hold integral chunks of the lyrical concept, as more of it's dark saga unfolds.
Swanö has obviously learnt a little from other projects he has been involved in and the
Ayreon/Star One influence in the keyboard work shines through, especially in 'Astrid Falls' (especially in the 70's prog-ish central section) and 'The Math and
Myth'. But on the flip-side, there is plenty of Swedish Melodic Death
Metal too – '
Dead For A Day' could be a lost
Soilwork or
In Flames track. However
Witherscape's own identity is always evident and never more so than in the expertly crafted '
Dying For The Sun'. A
Riverside/Gotye style intro explodes into a feast of diverse
Metal styles that intertwines the vocal and bass line from the intro into different sections of it's 6 minute length. Another 6 minute treat is the “wrapping-up” of the story, the final twist, of penultimate track 'The Wedlock Observation'. Every form of
Metal seems to get a look in at some point but the song never sounds choppy or spliced. It's kind of
King Diamond in feel (but not vocally!) in the way he would bring “
Abigail” or “
Them” to a conclusion, this album's lyrical concept is of a very resonant of
King Diamond's style. Just another string to it's bow.
This excellent collaboration is another giant forward (with plenty of sideways) step in the career of one of
Metal's greatest assets. Dan
Swanö
Metal is probably the only label I can pin on this release, as nothing else seems adequate. Great Stuff.
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