Withdraw – Trampelpfad

Withdraw is the name of a solo project that a Viennese multi-instrumentalist has been pursuing since 2021. Now comes the most interesting part; nine full-length since 2021?! No, it’s not a mistake, it’s an actual number of albums this creative and highly productive Austrian man has recorded in just over three years. Add to that the fact that just one man is behind all songwriting, lyrics, production, all instruments and vocals/speech… and his name is Witege. A natural question arises, does the general quality suffers because of the short instances of time between different releases. A short answer is; no – as the creative potential of Witege seems inexhaustible.

The moniker of his latest, ninth opus, is Trampelpfad (Trail), and the whole album has been self-produced in 2023 at Witege’s home studio in Meidling, Vienna (Austria). In terms of the lyrical content, which is in German, Witege deals with very personal topics such as overcoming fears and social norms, something most of us can relate it. That’s the biggest strength of this record, as it feels coherent, honest and suitable as a perfect setting for winter days in the Austrian Alps.

List of tracks:

01. Trampelpfad

02. Deine Werte

03. Ein Weg

04. Gesenkte Fahnen

05. Ambivalenz

06. In Gedanken

07. Abgrund

08. Gewohnheitstier

09. Die Welt

10. Scheidenreich (wiederbefeuchtet)* – bonus, re-arranged song from 2021.

My favourite tracks from Trampelpfad are the self-titled intro, “Trampelpfad”, due to its sophisticated and gentle start of this 10 tracks long journey. This song perfectly shows both high and convincing instrumental skills, but also the varied songwriting skills of Witege. Thus, with its nice and whispered passages, this song seems as well-chosen as an intro track. Another stand-out track is the one called, “Abgrund” (Abyss). This is true black metal – haunting and horror sonic madness. It features some wonderfully catchy and sophisticated guitar riffs, captivating and the nasty, yet understandable growling vocals, coherent lyrics, with the super cool bass lines, and dommish & relentless drumming. Lastly, the final atmospheric, and solemn track, (with a somewhat unusual title that will certainly stimulate the imagination of some people?!) called, “Scheidenreich (Wiederbefeuchtet)” – finishes of this dark and atmospheric melodic black metal album in a nice manner!

The production has been adjusted to the heavier approach, but still manage to strike a perfect balance beteween old-school black metal traditions, with this clarified, adjusted, vivid and overall solid sound.

To sum up this review; with the release of this latest ten-tracker entitled, Trampelpfad, Witege and his solo project Withdraw once again deliver another powerful, colorful and profound record. I hope, with the right promotion from Running Wild Productions, he’ll will attract even further domestic & international attention. Special recommendations for all worshippers of black metal and the likes of Dornenreich, Siebenbürgen, Summoning, Empyrium, Todtgelichter etc.

Further information can be obtained through https://runningwildproductions.bandcamp.com/album/trampelpfad