After The Void, a brief atmospheric introduction with some grunted chanting that amps up the listener, Withering Tides hits the gas with Withering Tides of Space, which shows off all the hallmarks of the Axetasy sound. Fans of recent blackened speed metal by Cruel Force and Hellripper, the speed-thrash of Razor and Whiplash, and early Running Wild and Helloween will have a lot here and on the rest of the album to chew over. The guitars carry the show, although the bass and drums keep things at a nice gallop. As with all the great songs here, this one comes with a brief interlude into dreamier spaces before kicking it back up into overdrive. The guitars trade between searing licks and a twin guitar attack that always maintains the momentum, even when the mood changes, as it often does on this and other songs to great effect. Keeping the energy up, Fatal Maze quickly gets things moving with twin guitar shredding and double bass drums. The gang shouts in this song really stand out, punctuating excellent guitar leads. This start-stop energy elevates the speed metal riffing to a new level and gives the guitars space to work their wizardry. As on other tracks here, atmosphere is crucial to the vibe of the song, and a breakdown into slower tempos just gives the ramp up to faster tempos even more energy. Slicing Dreams keeps the tempos high and the fists raised higher. Glorious twin guitar leads, shouted refrains, and sleek guitar solos punctuate thrashy riffing. This song also has one of the best choruses on the album with anthemic shouts belted over snappy drums, which I have found myself chanting in between the lagging moments of the workday: “Sacrifice your dreams / death comes forth in between” is a great little couplet that now lives in my head. This one is a ripper. Perhaps more than any other song on the album, Beyond All Order just screams pure speed metal attitude. The opening riff is straight out of the 80s and opens out into a raging twin guitar lead before the song jumps into a brief guitar solo. Much like Slicing Dreams, this track is driven by a strong chorus shouted gang-style: “Beyond all order, we’ll never give in / Cross every border under the skin” is another earworm. This song really shows off vocalist Johnny “Amon” Kröner’s chops, with shouts, yells, and that old speed metal standby, the falsetto yawp, in full effect. Although chorus heavy, Kröner keeps things interesting throughout the track by changing up his delivery on each subsequent chorus. For my money, Voidcrawler is the highlight of the album. Whereas with the previous tracks Axestasy elected to keep the energy up, this one catches the ear immediately with a shift in tone to a more introspective, dreamy feel. It’s a nice trick, though – right after the opening lick, we kick right back into high gear with another flaming fast riff. Still, this song has more power metal flair than some of the tracks that came before it: Kröner’s vocals are more melodic than on previous tracks, which gives a nice reprieve from the shout and yell of previous tracks. In the middle of the track comes a nice break with a crunchy palm-muted riff that shifts the energy in a very effective way. This break leads into a characteristic guitar solo that then transitions into some tasteful “ohs” and another acoustic-leaning passage. More than anything, Voidcrawler shows off Axetasy’s ability to take a tried-and-true formula and play with it, adding in surprises and frills that elevate the basic elements of the style to a new level. After the album’s high comes its low, Deadly Witch, but it’s still a ripper. By this point in the album, this song just doesn’t have as much character in the song writing as the previous tracks, especially Voidcrawler. While the album is a relatively brief 39 minutes, this is the only track that feels like filler. I find it telling that it’s also the shortest full song on the album. That being said, when your filler is this good, you know the album is a winner. We still get a searing solo coming out of a fist-raising chorus, and both deliver the goods. After kicking down the door with a classic speed metal riff, Axetasy (of Murder) dips into a brief acoustic run that sets the stage for another fast and furious speed metal jam. The by-now very welcome songwriting style, which moves between ripping fast speed metal, brief guitar solos, vocals that move between hoarse thrash grunts and black metal shrieks, and a nice dive-bomb here and there to keep things interesting, is in full effect here. When the acoustic lick comes back at the end of the song, it’s like a bow on a sweet little speed metal treat. Another album highlight. Nebulous Nightmares more than any other on the album reminds me of Traveler (very high praise coming from me), and for those with a Traveler-sized hole still throbbing in their hearts after the recent news of their break-up, this one is a welcome balm for that painful wound. Twin guitar leads ramp up to a familiar but welcome galloping riff. However, Axetasy breaks out a trick they use to great effect throughout this album: the verse riff ascends into a twin guitar attack that screams heavy metal bravado. The solo on this one is also one of the best on the album, and even comes with that rare treat, a bass solo, which then transitions into yet another energetic guitar solo. In all, this track showcases the band’s ability to take a formula and play it with so much creativity and heart that it feels new again. A fine closer to a very fine album. Conclusion While Withering Tides is first and foremost a ripper of a speed metal album, one of the many triumphs of the album is the keen balance that Axetasy manages to strike between the frenetic blast of speed and thrash metal with the introspective possibilities of heavy and power metal of olde. Not to suggest that this album slows down – there are no ballads here and only a few brief detours into slower tempos – rather, Axetasy gives these songs enough space to show off more than just blazing fast chops, and the songs transition smoothly between the furious attack of speed metal and the triumphant tone of power metal. This quality is best highlighted on Withering Tides of Space, Voidcrawler, and Nebulous Nightmares, but the album rarely loses momentum or intrigue. The initial fun of the album is in its urgency, but repeat listens provide generous detail worth poring over that gives this album real replay value. The guitar solos alone are worth the cost of entry, but the seamless structuring of the songs into high octane rollercoaster rides with dependably punchy choruses and regular hairy turns is the real treat.