Goddess are a Norwegian progressive Doom rock band, and this is their début EP.
Originally appearing in 2014, this is a re-released, remixed, remastered and expanded version. As this is my first exposure to Goddess, I can only assume these changes have improved The Withering, as it is quite an impressive release.
This is one song only, 19 minutes in length. Goddess’ style is that of 70s progressive rock given a Doom Metal facelift. It’s an enchanting and compelling mix that takes the quirky, charismatic elements of the 70s proto-Doom movement and adds a more modern layer on top of it.
Progressive guitar structures are morphed into Doom Metal workouts with distinctly proto-Metal keyboards sitting on top of them. The Doom comes out in the slower parts while the feeling of rocky blues and progressive exploration is never too far away.
The vocals consist of retro-friendly stoner cleans combined with female singing and much more modern harsh growls here and there. Due to the overall production also being of the retro-persuasion, the clean vocals sit naturally in the music, while the harsher vocals sound like slight intrusions; however, this spoils no enjoyment as the intrusive feeling is only a small one, they are used sparingly, and the impact they have due to this works in their favour. Besides, the music is strong enough to take it.
The song takes in many elements of the aforementioned styles during its playing time, transforming from upbeat rocking to slow, Doom-filled atmospheres; to folk-influenced lighter parts; to blues explorations; to extended atmospheric jams.
With impressive musicianship and enjoyable structuring, The Withering is a remarkable piece of music that satisfies in many ways. I come away after listening to it satiated and eager to listen to more. Let’s hope this is just the start of their sonic journey. Début album, please?
Wonderbox Metal 