A stunning spectral spectacle!

American trad/doom metallers, SPIRIT ADRIFT, have returned to release their highly anticipated 5th full-length album, “Ghost at the Gallows”. The record released on the 18th of August on digital, Cd, and (4 color) vinyl formats.

“SPIRIT ADRIFT’s gimmick is simple: there is no gimmick,” states SPIRIT ADRIFT mastermind, Nate Garrett. “Just great songs, great heavy riffs, catchy parts that make you want to bang your head and uplifting parts that make you want to fly into the sky.” With Ghost At The Gallows, Garrett has delivered SPIRIT ADRIFT’s most fully realized work to date. A record that confidently stands at the crossroads of heavy metal at its most epic and elemental and hard rock at its most honest and heartfelt.

“I run the risk of sounding like an egotistical asshole by saying anything about this album,” beams Nate, plainly. “For my taste, I like it better than anything I’m hearing in metal right now. I’m not really hearing any bands really making the exact thing that I want to hear so I’m making it myself. I can’t control what happens when this record comes out but I feel like I’ve already succeeded in ways I never expected. The music is the only thing that matters at the end of the day.”

REVIEW

I first fell in love with SPIRIT ADRIFT on their 2019 record, Divided by Darkness, and I’ve loved everything they’ve put out since then. 2022’s covers EP, 20 Centuries Gone, was an absolute treat, and this latest release (the band’s 5th full-length) is no different. Full disclosure: I actually listened to this record on release day (I was excited!), so this review will be based on my 2nd listen through.

Diving right in with “Give Her to the River”, which begins with a sublime slow-burn intro that gives way into some fantastic leads. They even thrash it up for a second, before Nate Garrett’s uncanny vocals kick in and instantly win me over (as usual). With a chanty chorus, and consistent rhythm and groove throughout, this track never let up. All in all, this is a 7 and 1/2 minute opus that showcases SPIRIT ADRIFT’s continued evolution into a wholly unique sound among the ever-growing NWOTHM scene, as well as ushering in an epic album.

“Barn Burner” had one hell of an act follow, and boy did it deliver. A lead section that somewhat reminded me of later era METALLICA, with an insanely catchy groovy guitar lick that reprises throughout. Garrett’s vocals are a usual highlight, and I loved the lyrics. The band broke it down hard at about 2:15 into a killer mosh riff that I’ve been able to get out of my head. It’s easy to see why this track was chosen as one of the album’s lead singles, as it’s a true banger!

Two for two thus far, and next up is “Hanged Man’s Revenge”, another of the main singles from the record. Blitzing into my speakers like a freight train, with lyrics that evoked MOTÖRHEAD, this song never let up. An incredible solo halfway through that lead beautifully into a gnarly mosh riff, coupled with the consistently on-point drumming of Mike Arellano, this was another strong track to kick off the album.

Every metal album should have a ballad, or something close enough to one, and “These Two Hands” is this album’s token ballad, but it’s phenomenal. The first 3 minutes are solemn and acoustic, with a vocal performance from Garrett that gripped my soul. But after those 3 minutes are up, it explodes into a bombardment of heavy riffs and more incredible vox. Also, the brief solo at about 4:30 is among my favorite on the entire album.

Now onto the second half of the album, and kicking things off here was “Death Won’t Stop Me”. This one began with a gnarly sludgy riff in the background behind some more nice leads. The one line chorus really struck me, loved its deliver. This track, like earlier one, really shows off how strong SPIRIT ADRIFT are as lyricists, with some of my favorite lyrics of the year thus far.

Following that one was “I Shall Return”, which was the lone track that didn’t connect with me on my first listen. Did my opinion change the second time around? You bet it did! The lyrics in this song continue the prevailing themes of death and loss present throughout the album. The instruments definitely play second fiddle to the words here, but that’s absolutely okay in my opinion, and because of that, it’s one of the more unique sounding tracks on the entire record. Hell of a solo to bookend the song too!

Up next was “Siren of the South”, which kicked things into high gear with a proper chug of an opening riff. Again, the lyrics were captivating and deeper than I’ve seen this year (so far!) At about 4:30, the track segways into a nice and calming acoustic bit for about 30 seconds before the band breaks into the heaviest riff on the album, and one that was accompanied by more epic drumming from Arellano. Like the other songs thus far, this was another banger.

Only “Ghost at the Gallows”, the title track, left now. Can SPIRIT ADRIFT seal the deal? At nearly 8 minutes, this was the longest track on the album, and it hearkened me back to SPIRIT ADRIFT’s earlier days, with a much more pronounced doom spice permeated throughout. Also, the guitar lick at 3:25 wasa real facemelter! I would say this song is the perfect mesh of styles between the past and present, and it made me even more eager for the future of SPIRIT ADRIFT. (Plus, they break out a freakin’ tambourine near the 3/4 mark!)

CONCLUSION

Not quite sure if it counts as a concept album, but the recurring themes of death, grief, and loss, really resonated with me. I’ve grown on SPIRIT ADRIFT more and more the more that I listen to them, and this album was no different. Every song was one that I’ll keep in my regular rotation, and I can confidently say that “Ghost at the Gallows” is an easy contender for Album of the Year (I know it’ll be on my Top 50!).

TheNWOTHM Score: 10/10

SPIRIT ADRIFT
Bandcamp: https://spiritadrift.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpiritAdrift
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