WITHERED FIST ~ THIS IS MY MOUNTAIN ... review

The Irish have a way with words like no other nation, maybe it's a skill that been handed down over the years or maybe its just something buried deep in their DNA but when an Irishman tells a story, or even just tells you about his day, their is something in that "telling" that holds you rapt, compelled to listen, and when that "telling" is combined with  music, well it just like cream on coffee!
Tipperary duo Withered Fist are an Irish combo consisting of Carl King (vocals) and Justin Maloney (all instruments), two guys who've served their time in other bands (Acrid Nebula/Two Tales of Woe), two guys who can tell a good story, two guys who with "This Is My Mountain" have kickstarted 2019 with one of the best EP's of melodic edged doomic rock you could ever possibly hope for.

As you may have noticed in this reviews intro Desert Psychlist is referring to this three song EP as "doomic" rather than referring to it as straight down the line, dyed in the wool "doom" and the reason for that is that the cloying dankness and intensity usually associated with doom is somewhat watered down here by Withered Fist's tendency to wander into melodic classic rock territory, a tendency that sets them apart from the following pack and makes the three songs on "This Is My Mountain" essential listening for those with a more discerning musical palette. Now this is not to say that Withered Fist are not adverse to getting downtuned dirty and dank, there are plenty of occasions and places on "This Is My Mountain" where the grooves drop down into the hefty and heavy with thrumming low slow reverberating riffage growling over pounding percussion, those moments however are cleverly offset by blending into the mix surf-like guitar tones, bluesy textured solo's and a vocal that is probably closer to Journey's Steve Augeri than it is to Down/Pantera's Phil Anselmo., the band adding a lilting, melodious edge to their grooves without compromising on their overall heaviness or lyrical content.

Withered Fist's "This Is My Mountain" is a truly inspiring release that showcases a band who have come to the realisation that playing heavy rock music does not necessarily mean you have to compromise melody and musicality for muscle and might.

Check it out …. 

© 2019 Frazer Jones