Withered Interview

After releasing their debut in 2005, Atlanta’s Withered returns with a new CD on a new record label. The band also has had a couple of lineup changes, bringing aboard bassist Mike Longoria and drummer Beau Brandon. Folie Circulaire features a guest appearance from Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway, and also a cover version of Necrophobic’s “Into Armageddon.” Guitarist/vocalist Chris Freeman tells us the story of the unusual album title, the collaboration with Greenway, their lyrical influences and other topics.

Chad Bowar: It’s been a few years since your last CD. How has the band’s sound evolved from Memento Mori to Folie Circulaire?
Chris Freeman: I think the most noticeable change is that Folie Circulaire is much more focused. The album flows better and is more cohesive. With Memento Mori, we were a new band that was trying to find its way. The writing process was all over the place. It was originally intended to just be a demo/EP, but after Lifeforce showed interest we ended up writing a couple more songs to make it a full length. To me that really affected the finished product. Although Folie Circulaire took some time to write, we knew what we wanted from the beginning so we set out to do just that. The result is darker and more suffocating than Memento Mori.

How did the collaboration with Barney from Napalm Death come about?
It's been something we've wanted to do for years. His vocals and Napalm Death have always had a big influence on us, especially back in the Social Infestation days. We approached Barney through a mutual friend (Albert Mudrian at Decibel) and he was very receptive to the idea. So, we made the arrangements and it actually happened. He was a real pleasure to work with. We are quite honored to have his contribution.

Read the complete Withered Interview
Read the Folie Circulaire Review

(photo courtesy Prosthetic Records)