WITHERING SCORN – Prophets of Demise

Glen and Shawn Drover, formerly of Eidolon and Megadeth, have teamed up once again for a new project called Withering Scorn. Formed in 2020, the brothers made good use of their time during the pandemic by writing some songs together for a pure, classic Heavy Metal record. The band also features bassist Joe DiBiase and vocalist Henning Basse. The record is called Prophets of Demise.

“The four of us have been musicians most of our lives. At this point, we are pretty honed in as to what we wanted to do musically, and that is to create a 100% uncompromising Heavy Metal record, which is exactly what we have done. No punches pulled, no holds barred…just flat out HEAVY METAL!!! We are extremely proud of our first record, Prophets of Demise, and worked very hard on this record for almost three years. I believe the results will speak for themselves. We hope you like the record as much as we did creating it,” said drummer Shawn Drover in a press release.

No Punches Pulled, No Holds Barred

The album kicks off with the title track, which has a haunting and moody intro before it kicks into full gear with monstrous kick drumming and a crushing guitar riff. Guitarist Glen Drover shreds away during the guitar solo. The overall vibe of the album is Heavy Metal, but there are some Thrash Metal and Power Metal elements in there, as well. Songs like “Pick Up the Pieces,” “Dark Reflection” and “Dethroned” showcase a great blend of the two subgenres together. Henning Basse’s vocal range is quite interesting. He can sing melodically and scream his head off; just not at the same time. As for Shawn Drover, he is an absolute beast on the drum kit.

The production on Prophets of Demise is good and very modern-sounding. The riffs sound big and immense, and a lot of it has to do with the distortion level. Like any good old Thrash Metal album, the riffs can be heavy, but if the guitar sound is too clean, then the vibe is destroyed. Even DiBiase’s thumping bass lines are brought up in the mix, which is great because some bands like to bury their bass players on their records. A major highlight of the album is the closing track, “Eternal Screams.” It’s an epic musical journey that gives off the vibe of walking into a spooky forest alone.

Final Assessment

Prophets of Demise is the closest thing fans will get to another Eidolon record, as that band has been done for a long time now. Obviously, the Drover brothers still make a great team and they’ve proved that they haven’t lost their touch. If this new project is successful, it’d be amazing to see what the brothers would do for a second Withering Scorn album. Only time will tell.

Album Tracklist

1. Prophets of Demise
2. The Vision
3. Pick Up the Pieces
4. Ancient Desire
5. Dark Reflection
6. Dethroned
7. Never Again
8. Eternal Screams

Band Lineup

Henning Basse – lead vocals
Glen Drover – guitars
Joe DiBiase – bass guitar
Shawn Drover – drums