Ovid's Withering - The Cloud Gatherer EP

I'm often guilty of discovering awesome bands but don't have time to talk about all of them, such is life. Ovid's Withering are one such band that I came across a couple of years ago now, when I checked out Subliminal Groove Records. Ovid's Withering are from Tampa, Florida and play killer theatrical modern metal, with heavy influence from dent and deathcore.

They have a more recent album out, which was released late last year but I like to start from the beginning with a lot of bands, so I'm starting with their 2012 EP The Cloud Gatherer, which was later released in early 2013 on CD by the band, only to sell out super fast. After all, I need to keep my current tech-metal obsession in check. This band's stock is rising and they've shared staged with the likes of Preiphery, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Kataklysm.

Tracklist:-

1. Panikon Deima
2. Oedipus Complex
3. The Omen of Lycaon
4. The Reckoning. The Summoning. The Purge

Ovid’s Withering play some of the best death metal I’ve heard for some time, with plenty of progression and keyboard flourishes. It’s little wonder when listening to the solo in Panikon Deima, that they’ve shared the stage with Periphery. Modernity aside though, OW’s blueprint of extreme death metal features intensely fast drumming and symphonic elements, as well as technical guitar. The vocals are low-deep growls, occasionally joined by higher rasping vocals. There’s a whole lot of fantasy in the lyrics as well!

Ovid’s Withering play longer and more structured songs, with parts that flow into one another and represent different sides of the band. Oedipus Complex makes the most of their signature death metal sound but also shows their more thoughtful side, with the occasional melodic introspective passage and plenty of melody placed in the rest of the song. The orchestral textures provide plenty of atmosphere and drama too, while the song loses no momentum during transitions between different time-signatures. Oedipus Complex has a brilliant solo played by Jakub zytecki, which leads into quiet strings and whispered vocals and then immediately into an electronics backed dent section. it may be a mile a minute but it’s worth every penny.

The Omen of Lycaon hints at hardcore to start with, especially in the vocals, but it’s not long before OW go plain mental. There are passages of outright heaviness but when they slow down and add other elements like the choral vocal effects, you’ll understand exactly what they are trying to achieve. A song with so many ideas and twists will no doubt be hard for some to swallow, but The Omen of Lycaon is well worth standing by. The guest vocals provided by Jamie Stewart from The Absence add further weight too.

The production of the album is good, though I think it favour the electronic effect and orchestral elements more than it favours the guitars. That’s my opinion though, ad that shouldn’t take away from the EP as a whole. Closing among The Reckoning, The Summoning, The Purge is Ovid’s longest song at just over eight minutes. It take their progressive death and injects it with more ideas and more twists. It’s an epic EP that plotted the trajectory of the band to where they are now. 

Have listen to it for yourself here:-



You can purchase the EP for super cheap as a digital download from their bandcamp page, as well as merch and of course their new album, which I'll review soon probably.

Ovid's Withering Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/ovidswithering
Subliminal Groove Records Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/SubliminalGroove