The Black Metal Tradition was the blue print then combining Goth and Doom metal influences then making it into something entirely they own.  Withering Soul is the band that you picture being the soundtrack for every ghost horror film or the ghost stories of the Chicago area -- looking here, you can see right where they get the influences from.   

The ghost stories are something of a backdrop and this is a band that will scare the shit out of you if you're listening to them in an area that is truely haunted.  I was lucky enough to meet the brothers at GOTHICFEST 2007 and much of our friends run in similar circles.   Apparitions of The Surreal is something you want to pick up -- especially knowing they are getting spots with Dark Funeral.   This a very young band of this kind, but taking the influences of Type O Negative and Trouble into consideration for the slower backdrops then combining a speed metal type solo style which calls to mind Megadeth when they did A Toule Le Mode.   Chicago, Illinois, always been a hotbed for heavy metal.   Trouble started the trend and then Novembers Doom.  Recently these styles merged with Black and Thrash Metal.  DOing more hybrid type backdrops for summoning a supernatural entity, ans what you think Withering Soul might have done when they played in the Excaliber Nightclub (which is said to be haunted.)  They had an eerier vibe in this venue and were the very first band to play the second day at the event.  This is a band that should have been on later because they'd steal the show from the other bands who played that gig.
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"Publication date: 08 January 2005, 21:13:18  |  Author: Stuart A Hamilton

Blimey, I never realised that Norwegian international waters went as far as Chicago, Illinois, but it certainly seems that way on this excellent demo effort from Withering Soul.

Formed by brothers Mykil and Krystofer, they’ve looked towards Scandinavia for their influences and come up with an accomplished effort. They’ve put their own spin on the Black Metal template with some ambient Mortiis sounds, and added some interesting guitar sounds, which helps lift this out of the mire of so many genre offering.

The high spots are "Synthetic Existence", which could be straight from the first wave of Black Metal circa 1982 and “Fallen Release”, which comes straight after the mellow “A Midnight Release”, and then proceeds to rip your head off with sheer brutality.

For a home recorded release, this is extremely good, and it would be even better if someone were to let them loose in a recording studio."
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"Chicago has new underground Dark Metal band that uses Norwegian Black Metal as the blueprint and then ventures off into uncharted territories. Formed by the brothers of Mykil and Krystofer, these guys look toward the abyss for inspiration. They mix the best of Black, Dark and ambient and the result is nothing short of haunting. "Twisted In Irony" is rather mellow and somewhat melodic with touches of primitive Black Metal. Mykil's voice is harsh and clean ala ICS Vortex, but not a carbon copy. There are plenty of haunting chants in here as well. The guitar stylings of Krystofer is hypnotic as he spirals away into another dimension. The drums are pretty much laid back, but heavy. It has all the makings of coming out of Norway."
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