Founded in Sweden in 2006 and having released one demo since that time, I wasn’t surprised I never heard of the black metal band Withershin. Obviously it’s always a challenge to discover new bands, even when they are relatively new to the scene. The band states to have had difficulties finding a suitable vocalist for their first full length Ashen Banners, which made me curious to find out what’s so special about the vocalist who was finally chosen.

Although the songs played by Withershin aren’t necessarily unique or original in the sense they bring something new, they most certainly are diverse. More than enough attention has been given to the guitar parts: melodic riffs and plenty of guitar solos seem to be important aspects of the album. Overall the songs are up tempo and well produced. What I particularly like about the album is that all the tracks could be played by different bands, because there’s so much difference between them all. But yet, the songs seem to compliment each other without a doubt.

If you ask me, the best song on the album is ‘New Era Holocaust’, because it has such a catchy black and roll sound combined with furious black metal. When listening to Ashen Banners you will notice that Withershin has put a lot of effort in keeping the music surprising without overproducing it. They must have focused themselves not only at what the band sounds like as a whole, but also on giving every musician the chance to play their instruments to the fullest.

Then last but not least, the vocalist who was so terribly hard to find. I must admit that this guy, Nine, has a lot of potential. He doesn’t only grunt, which he mostly does at a lower pitch, he also screams and sings with his regular voice. Honestly, I think this vocalist was worth the long search!