I am fully aware that we are on the cusp of another release day, but before we start loading up our playlists with new material let’s take a moment to explore one more from last week that I myself have been lost in for some time now. That would be Shadow Without A Horizon, the debut full-length from blackened death/doom trio Witherer. Out now through Hypaethral Records, the soundscapes presented here are immense. This project weaves the best parts these genres together to create something as memorable and impressive as it is intense. And it’s only the beginning for Witherer. So to get further acquainted, give Tiamoath’s responses to our Profile questions a read below and hit that Bandcamp link while you do so. It’s dark and it’s punishing, but the journey is worth it for so many reasons.

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start?

Witherer began years ago as a one-man atmospheric black metal project. I had written about a dozen songs, recorded an unreleased demo, and got as far as releasing a single, “Milk Sea (Bathing in its Waves).” In 2017, I was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver, which made the reality behind old aphorisms – memento mori, hodie mihi cras tibi, etc. – immediately palpable. I started writing doomier material in the immediate aftermath of that incident, which ultimately led Witherer in a more experimental direction, resulting in the blackened death/doom character of the project’s current sound.

As the music became more complex, it became impossible to imagine Witherer as a one-man band. Hence guitarist ØHRRACLE and drummer HEX VISCERÆ joining the project. Both are musicians and people I highly respect, and it’s an honor to work with them as permanent members of the band.

I began learning an instrument somewhat later than many, only picking up bass guitar when I was a teenager. However, it quickly developed into a lifelong pursuit, and played in multiple bands as a bassist. For the last few years, especially as Witherer started gaining more momentum, guitar became the main instrument I play day-to-day. I also started learning drums a few years ago, which certainly helped the songwriting process on “Shadow Without a Horizon.”

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

“Shadow Without a Horizon” is a 53-minute memento mori, trying to distill the visual allegory of the vanitas into music. This means that both the tense, panicked terror of dying and the dragging, prolonged feeling of decay are incorporated into the music: vicious black/death chaos and the mournful vastness of funeral doom are woven together in Witherer’s sound.

Is there one (or more) thing about your latest / upcoming album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

I’ve yet to discuss C. O’Neill’s contributions to the ambient centerpiece of the album, “The Wailing Hours (Plummeting Under the Tunnels).” Many of my favorite albums use ambient tracks to great effect, and it seemed entirely appropriate to the theme and progression of “Shadow.” C. and I worked on it over several sessions, and thanks to C.’s contributions and ideas, what I had initially written was transformed into something much more dream-like and haunting.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

The number of talented musicians making unforgettable work is something that provides constant inspiration for my own writing. Some of the albums I listen to every week (if not every day!) have only come out in the last few years. One of the worst things is the threat that AI poses to the scene, and to the fabric of society more generally. The unspoken covenant between (human) artists and (human) musicians needs to be at its strongest during a time like this.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

Witherer has already begun the process of recording its next EP, and the second album is in the writing stages. Expect more in the future… but for now, we are keenly focused on “Shadow Without a Horizon,” and excited to hear people’s thoughts on the record. We are grateful for the attention it’s already garnered.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

Spectral Lore – “IV (Part I)” (demo)
Remete – “Into Endless Night”
Woods of Desolation – “The Falling Tide”
Ahab – “The Divinity of Oceans”
Bell Witch – “Future’s Shadow”
Immolation – “Close to a World Below”
Falls of Rauros – “Vigilance Perennial”

Summarize your band in one word.

Death.

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Many thanks to Witherer for the time!

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Shadow Without A Horizon is out now through Hypaethral Records. For more information on Witherer, head over to the socials.