Yes, I admit that I was stunned by the aggressive, direct way of playing, covering the melodic approach. It was therefore difficult to get access to the compositions; but piece by piece, Where The Grass Withers gradually aroused real, lasting enthusiasm.
The earthy compositions do not show up in striking, but grounded, honest style and sneak in the memory due to several sensitive components: the discreet but nevertheless extremely effective keyboards must be mentioned in any case, because a dense, wistful sublime develops and goes together with the quite tautly advancing aggression in perfect harmony The acoustic guitar often contributes a calm, but important part to the compositions’ moods, and thus the band manages to invite us to a journey on the PATH OF DESOLATION, which is not at all according to the band’s name, but shines in bright sound colors.
A beautiful piano motive enriches the moody piece Isenau, which overwhelms with its elegiac aura. In front of the inner eye you can see yourself standing on a summit, gazing proudly into the misty landscape. To Pastures Gray plays with different speeds and bewitches through extremely gentle piano sounds at the end. So it's no wonder that Rites Of Rumination bursts all the more blandly out of the speakers to score with head-bang-compatible shred-metal and discreet symphonic attachments. The keyboards strike quite dominantly and refreshingly during The Hunting Prey, leaving the dashing guitars with enough room to unfold. Melancholic flair, whispered vocals, blasts, twin guitars and a quiet middle section appear at 85 Miles, only a first-class refrain is missing as cherry on the cake. The epic work Colourblind comes with a modern appeal and also offers great clear vocals as well as spherically floating passages.
The Swiss musicians act in very creative manner, and show a perfect balance of fresh aggressiveness and restrained emotionality. Where The Grass Withers tastes like a cheese plate (please forgive me this dull comparison) with different varieties: sometimes in powerful and intense, then again in decent and restrained way, I can speak of a versatile overall indulgence in its totality!