Today, I’m going back to the Austrian extreme metal scene, delving once more into the catalogue of the Linz-based label Running Wild Productions. Today’s album is Trampelpfad by the Viennese one-man band Withdraw. It was released in 2024 in digital and digifile CD formats. Over the last days, I’ve been really into Austrian metal, black metal, to be precise. (I’ve even launched a new playlist dedicated to this scene on Spotify, featuring nine tracks taken from albums released between 2020 and 2026).
Trampelpfad is a black metal album with a rather melodic yet aggressive approach. The atmosphere is cold, which comes across clearly on tracks such as Ambivalenz, amplified by captivating melodies (which are repetitive in several passages) and a raw, very fast rhythm. There are alos rhythm breaks, such as on Ein Weg from 1:02 onwards. From another perspective, the track In Gedanken (an instrumental) offers a rather epic experience, with an approach I would describe as more atmospheric.
The guitars are dense and distorted, with a melodic approach in several passages, such as at the beginning of the track Deine Werte, or on Ein Weg from 4:01 onwards (emotional melodies). But that’s not all; the guitars generally take a raw approach, which is particularly evident on tracks such as Die Welt. Heavier passages are also noticeable. The drums deliver an organic, martial and very imposing performance on tracks such as Ambivalenz, with brutal and fast beats.
The vocals are strident, with echo effects. It’s a very intense performance. Among the tracks where the vocals are particularly striking are Ein Weg and Gesenkte Fahnen, and the most intense performance, in my opinion, is on Abgrund. I would also describe the vocals as nuanced in their approach. They are not monotonous and do not stick to a single form. There are high-pitched screams, deep screams and also some sort of murmurs.
The highlights and the tracks I enjoyed: there’s the track Ein Weg, which I find very nuanced instrumentally, and above all, it’s a violent track. I really enjoyed the composition from 2:50 onwards on Gesenkte Fahnen. The track Abgrund is undoubtedly my favourite, thanks to its rhythm and its elaborate structure, which shifts between acoustic passages, epic melodies and unapologetic aggression. I’d also like to highlight the track Die Welt for its relatively direct approach, which immediately brings to mind '90s Nordic black metal.
Trampelpfad is another album that really surprised me. The Austrian one-man band Withdraw has crafted an album with a cold, violent and melodic approach, bordering on the epic. I think this is an album I’ll definitely be listening to again over the next few days, and one I’d recommend to black metal worshippers, even though its structure sometimes seems to lean towards a more modern style of songwriting .
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