AATR PREMIERES WITHERING SURFACE “Finish What You Started” official video
19th April 2024For the second single and official video of their upcoming album âExit Planâ, WITHERING SURFACE presents one of the fastest, yet melodic, tracks in the record: âFinish What You Startedâ. From the killer guitar lead in the pre-chorus to the emotional-charged refrain, this song is all that the Danes represent in 2024: a mature band with an endless soft spot for melodic death metal in its classical form.
âExit Planâ is the 6th studio album from Withering Surface following the success of the 2020 comeback album âMeet You Makerâ. The process of the âExit Planâ album was long and challenging with various recording sessions, line-up changes, producers, and on top of that all the obstacles with Covid and post-Covid. The fact that the bandâs engagements with Copenhell and various other festivals in 2020 were postponed two years to 2022 could easily have killed Withering Surface which was making a comeback after 15 years in slumber. Instead, all efforts were put into the making of an âExit Planâ. An album where both songwriting and lyrical concepts appear stronger than ever for the band. Topping this is the production by Soren Andersen (Medley Studio), mainly known in rock and hard rock circles for his work with artists like Thundermother, Tygers Of Pan Tang, and Glenn Hughes. Soren Andersen was not the obvious choice of producer for a melodic death metal band but ended up being the perfect match for Withering Surface anno 2024 delivering a huge over-the-top sound.
Allan Tvedebrink says âRight after we dropped âMeet Your Makerâ all our gigs and plans were scrapped because of the pandemic and it obviously created a huge void for us. Iâm very proud of that album, but when it was finished, I felt that we could do better and, because of the wide open schedule, I immediately started working on âExit Planâ. The new material is focused on a much more direct and intense approach and it is by far the strongest compilation of songs we have ever done to represent an album. In the process of creating the âExit Planâ we had lots of setbacks. Deciding to let our new drummer go after we recorded the drums, having a new guitarist on board, and losing our keyboard player took some extra time, but also made us re-visit the material and get everything right. The challenges and the decisions made in the process definitely made the album way betterâ.
Soren Andersen: âI was initially hired as the mixing engineer but I have ended up becoming a superfan. This is how I feel about Withering Surface and their forthcoming album âExit Planâ. They are by far the most extreme band I have ever worked with. Musically I have no other bands to compare them with besides Faith No More and Soilwork. After a few mixes I totally fell in love with the sound of the band, and never before have I challenged myself as much as I have working upon this album. Combining brutal riffs, a powerhouse rhythm section, screaming vocals, melodic solos and imaginative songwriting, this is all I could ever ask for in a metal bandâ.
Singer Michael Hvolgaard Andersen adds: âVocal-wise I wanted to go back to the roots of Withering Surface. Capturing some of the spirit from the frustrated 19-year-old me. Songs on the new album like âWhere Dreamers Dieâ and âYou Hurt This Childâ show that. I was not sure I still had that throat capacity and aggression in me but proved myself wrong. I always had the desire to make catchy sing-a-long choruses. In the past, they were on songs like âDancing With Fariesâ and âJoyless Journeyâ. On âExit Planâ this desire is brought to life on âDenial Denial Denialâ, âFinish What You Startedâ and âI Finally Lost (All Faith In Humanity)â. Since the formation of Withering Surface, Allanâs songwriting felt natural for me to make vocal lines and melodies on and on âExit Planâ I truly believe he delivered his strongest material to date which by the end of the day is the reason that made my voice sound strong and have me deliver that little extraâ.Â
The lyrical concept
âExit Planâ is about breaking boundaries and norms that have been set for one. To put a mental period and start over. To get complete clarity about where you are and are going and want to end = âExit Planâ. Song titles include âWhere Dreamers Dieâ, âMindreaderâ, âYou Hurt This Childâ and âI Finally Lost (All Faith In Humanity)â and are all with a lyrical foundation in the aforementioned outlook on life, sex, shame, religion and a fading view of humanity.
âExit Planâ is a lyrical extension of its predecessor âMeet Your Makerâ, where a religious meeting with the higher powers made the protagonist realize that there is no help to be had from anyone but the person himself. That you stand alone. That the only one who can help you is yourself. Cold cynicism and power do not go hand in hand with charity. Forget the norm and anything that doesnât work for you. No excuse, no blame. You are not a social experiment. The thanks you get when youâre gone are worthless and remember one of manâs greatest qualities is to repress.
âExit Planâ will be released on LP (black vinyl), CD and digital formats on June 7th, 2024 via Mighty Music.
Lineup:
Allan Tvedebrink – guitars
Michael H. Andersen – vocals
Jesper Kvist – bass
Troels Lund-Sørensen – drums
Marco Angioni – guitars
All drums on âExit Planâ performed by Jakob Gundel
Digital single pre-save link:
https://bfan.link/finish-what-you-started
Webshop:
Web:
https://www.facebook.com/witheringsurface
https://www.instagram.com/witheringsurface/
https://witheringsurface.bandcamp.com/album/exit-plan
https://music.apple.com/pt/artist/withering-surface/205108911