Thanks to all our fans and friends. We cannot wait to celebrate with you all when the world resumes...
Angry Metal Guy
On third album, Curse of Autumn all this talent is on vivid display as the band rips through wild, adventurous prog-power anthems tailor-made for fans of Symphony X and Nevermore.
Sonic Perspectives If you're not already following this band, start yesterday, because it's clear that they're going places.
MetalSucks
Their brand of progressive power metal has a granite-hard edge to it - more Amerithrash than Eurocheese. The emotional core remains intact even as the runtime pushes the hour mark.
Metal Injection
This is a band with the technical proficiency of Dream Theater but the aggression and bombast of 3 Inches of Blood.
GhostCult
Back with their third full-length release, Californian act Witherfall return with prog guns blazing... excess and pomposity are all part of the majesty of prog so just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Today US dark melodic metal masters WITHERFALL have released “A Prelude to Sorrow”, the highly anticipated follow-up to 2017’s “Nocturnes and Requiems”. Listen to the album in its entirety HERE.
Watch an unboxing video of “A Prelude To Sorrow” HERE.
The media reaction to the album has been nothing short of extraordinary:
"A Prelude To Sorrow" provides the listener a cathartic release through some of the most mesmerizing music I have ever heard. The savage brilliance of this album is stunning
-9.5/10 -Metal Wani-
One of the most talented acts in metal; check this out and be impressed
-Angry Metal Guy-
The turmoil of WITHERFALL‘s chaotic, highly technical and dramatic performance is as impressive as ever.
-Distorted Sound Magazine-
-5/5 Metal Hammer.de-
I implore you listen to ‘A Prelude to Sorrow’ so that you too can share in an album that is as moving as it is memorable, as emotional as it is engaging, as intelligent as it is intimate and that is as heavy lyrically as it is musically. In short, it’s a sonic tour-de-force.
- 9.8/10 Man of Much Metal-
A Prelude To Sorrow" is one of the recordings of the year.
-Rock Hard Greece-
‘We are Nothing’ and ‘Vintage’ being the shining stars. Both songs are 11 minute compositions reminding of the best, progressive metal offered till today.
-9/10 Markusheavymusicblog-
WITHERFALL understand how to package perfectly negative emotions in such a way that a large whole emerges. Despite the blows of fate (or maybe just because of that), the band grows beyond itself. Actually, it cannot get better.
- 9/10 Hell-fire magazine-
8.5 / 10 Joseph Michael’s powerful voice belongs to the best of the genre.
-ROCK HARD (Ger) Soundcheck #9-
-AARDSCHOK (NL) Soundcheck #3-
90 / 100 A blasting album where technique and vibe fit perfectly together!
-LORDSOFMETAL.NL-
9 / 10 – WITHERFALL have delivered an impressive follow-up
-BURNYOUREARS.DE-
Magnificent!
-9/10 Rock Tribune (B)-
‘A Prelude To Sorrow’ overwhelmed me upon first listen and has enough interesting details to keep surprising me"
-Gitarist (NL)-
Bolstered by a clear, crisp recording, this album is an essential listen for any heavy/power/progressive metal fan.
-Wonder Box Metal-
On “A Prelude to Sorrow”, main songwriters Joseph Michael (vocals, Sanctuary – live) and Jake Dreyer (Iced Earth) succeeded in perfectly combining the group’s technical proficiency with an appropriate eerie and somber atmosphere, manifesting also in Kristian Wåhlin’s majestic cover painting. “A Prelude to Sorrow” was mixed and mastered by Chris “Zeuss” Harris. (Sanctuary, Queensryche, Iced Earth)
The album is available as a Limited Edition Digipak, jewel case CD (US only), gatefold 2LP plus poster and etching on Side D as well as digital album.
US dark melodic metal masters WITHERFALL will release the highly anticipated follow-up to 2017’s “Nocturnes and Requiems” on November 2nd, 2018. Now, the band is proud to reveal the first song from “A Prelude to Sorrow”.
“Ode to Despair was the first composition that was completed for “A Prelude to Sorrow” so it only seems fitting to start off with this track. Its origin traces back to around 2016 when we were figuring out what to do with Sagan being sick and unable to perform. Fueled by red wine and only a glimmer of the sorrow that was to come "Ode" took only one writing session to complete. The video was shot over the two month span that we were in the studio tracking “A Prelude to Sorrow” and watching the video brings you into the world we inhabited for what seems like an eternity... Special thanks to Don Adams and his masochistic tendencies and keen editor’s eye. Stay tuned for more...”
On “A Prelude to Sorrow”, main songwriters Joseph Michael (vocals, Sanctuary – live) and Jake Dreyer (Iced Earth) succeeded in perfectly combining the group’s technical proficiency with an appropriate eerie and somber atmosphere, manifesting also in Kristian Wåhlin’s majestic cover painting. For mix and mastering, WITHERFALL again worked with Chris “Zeuss” Harris (Sanctuary, Queensryche, Iced Earth) and “Ode to Despair” is just a mere glimpse at the depth and quality, the album holds within.
The “A Prelude To Sorrow” track list can be viewed below:
WITHERFALL – A Prelude To Sorrow
1. A Prelude To Sorrow (1:27)
2. We Are Nothing (11:13)
3. Moment Of Silence (6:55)
4. Communion Of The Wicked (6:40)
5. Maridian’s Visitation (3:1)
6. Shadows (7:08)
7. Ode To Despair (3:49)
8. The Call (2:11)
9. Vintage (11:06)
10. Epilogue (2:47)
The album will be released as Limited Edition Digipak, jewelcase CD (US only), gatefold 2LP plus poster and etching on Side D as well as digital album.
The following limited vinyl colours are available:
WITHERFALL sign worldwide deal with Century Media Records
“…an epochal, truly progressive power metal masterpiece, full of vigour, darkness and energy”
DEAF FOREVER
“…an epochal, truly progressive power metal masterpiece, full of vigour, darkness and energy”
DEAF FOREVER
US epic progressive metal rising force WITHERFALL have signed a worldwide deal with Century Media. WITHERFALL, who seem to have come out of nowhere in late 2016, have stirred up the international scene with their unique approach of combining epic metal with dark heavy metal and complex yet catchy progressive metal to style that reminds of early Crimson Glory, the Conspiracy/The Eye era of King Diamond and the great achievements of bands like Nevermore, Fates Warning and Queensrӱche.
WITHERFALL comment on the signing:
“We are very honored to be a part of the Century Media legacy. The roster of acts they have worked with speaks volumes about the pride they take in bringing original and engaging music to Metal fans around the globe. Witherfall promises to deliver on the Century Media slogan of "Quality in Metal".”
WITHERFALL’s debut album “Nocturnes And Requiems”, self-released by the band in the USA, hit the scene like a hammer, receiving raving reviews from both press and fans (soundcheck #2 in German Deaf Forever magazine, “demo of the month” in German Rock Hard magazine etc.). Now “Nocturnes And Requiems” will see its European release on October 6th 2017 as a limited CD Digipak version with three stickers, a noble LP version with gatefold sleeve, inlay, poster and CD as well as digital download/stream.
The beautiful cover artwork was done by legendary painter Kristian Wahlin (Tiamat, Dissection, Emperor and many more).
The pre-sale at CM Distro will start on August 4th.
For the vinyl collectors, “Nocturnes And Requiems” is available in the following colours:
Black vinyl: unlimited
Golden vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively offered at CM Distro Europe
Dark green vinyl: limited to 200 copies, available at various online mailorder stores
Power metal needs a savior. Unfortunately, in recent years, power metal has become a notoriously bland genre. New bands who fail to experiment, veteran bands who are content to release the same album every 2 years, and lots of loud, overproduced albums have plagued the genre for years. If something doesn’t change, the genre will fade away into obscurity...
...If American power metal came back to save the genre as a whole, this would be the band to do it. In King Arthur and Tolkien’s Middle Earth, two frequent sources of power metal inspiration, the saviors of the world are always the offspring of a former great king. Power metal should have a similar hero, then. What better band to do it than one fronted by the cousin of one of the greatest American metal singers of all time? YES: JOSEPH MICHAEL IS FUCKING DIO’S COUSIN....
A few weeks ago i was in Utica, New York (my hometown) and got some tattoo work done with the lovely and talented Jessica Poczatek of Nevermore Tattoo Collective... The sheet music in the artwork includes music from the song in the Video Clip released a few days ago...
Here is a small video clip of the festivities along with a new snippet of another song. It has an onslaught of #alternatepickedsextuplets from Jake Dreyer... If you listen closely you can hear Bassist Anthony Crawford tapping one of the arpeggios in unison.
For early access to a new audio/video clip that will be premiered on facebook next week, please sign up as a site member at http://www.witherfall.com/witherfall-all-access. The video goes out on Thursday to all of those that have not joined. There is no fee, just free content. Also, theWitherfall guitar pick giveaway will be sent to all inquiries at the end of the month! \../,
WITHERFALL is the collective brainchild of guitarist Jake Dreyer, drummer Adam Sagan, and singer Joseph Michael. It is also a natural extension of the already established working relationships between the three songwriters.
Dreyer and Sagan collaborated in 2011 for the recording of Jake Dreyer's first instrumental EP, "In the Shadows of Madness". The EP received wide-spread critical admiration and the song "Harmony of the Spheres" which was released as a downloadable song for the video game franchise ROCKBAND. A musical brotherhood was forged, and a seed was planted.
In 2012, Dreyer and Joseph Michael found themselves playing together in White Wizzard. After multiple international tours and recording an album on the labels Century Media/Earache both knew they had found in each other the missing piece of a puzzle that was still undefined.
With songs taking shape and demos being exchanged, Dreyer and Michael convened in Los Angeles in October 2013, while Dreyer and Sagan convened in Minnesota in November, resuming what they had started 2 years earlier. Thus, WITHERFALL was manifest.
In May 2014 Dreyer, Michael, and Sagan had their first band rehearsal, and in August 2014 the band entered a studio in Phoenix AZ with engineer Ralph Patlan (Megadeth, Brian "Head" Welch, MSG). to begin recording their debut album, as of 2016 production has been completed. Stay tuned for updates surrounding the release.
