Lead single ‘Hear Her’ rules on repeated listens. ‘Tortured by Time’ has the most in common with previous work by the band, but even here, the track just seems to never touch the ground in every way. The drum production is textbook perfect, done at Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio Studio. Perfectly laid back, aggro when he needs to be, and tuned impeccably. Drummer Marcus Bryant’s beats are the perfect foil for this music. This maturation and execution have made him one of the great artists of the genre in the last few years. His lyrics on this album are also immense and weighty. He has evolved into an incredible singer, where he was tentative just a few years ago. He wrote, co-produced, played all the guitars, leads, and bass. Nathan Garrett deserves a lot of credit for his out-of-body level of talent displayed, not just as a composer, but as a consummate professional. A truly epic composition that runs the gamut from chill to volcanic hot fire. ‘Born Into Fire’ is another mid-tempo crusher destroyer! ‘Angel and Abyss’ might be the high point for me. The other tracks on Divided By Darkness don’t slack one inch, not for a second.
#Spirit adrift divided by darkness album review skin
The absolutely killer twin harmony leads solo had me jumping out of my skin with excitement. The second half of the song adds some mellowness that creeps in here and there just to give dynamic and emotional weight. The title track rages with a slow burn aggression and almost throwback metallic transitions. While there is definitely some progressive intricacies in some of the writing, most of these tunes get to the point and don’t overstay their welcome. The rest of the album follows suit, but with many possible endings like a Choose Your Own Adventure Book. It’s a guitar smorgasbord and your all invited. So many tasty licks and sweet Jazz hands inspiring air guitar moments in this first track along that Bob Fosse will come back from the grave to throw the horns! The spacey, extended introspective meditations the band made famous up to now are not gone completely, but this record favors head-nodding jams above all else. The opening track ‘We Will Not Die’ announces with a declaration that this album is here to hail and kill you dead with heavy guitars. Now we must add Spirit Adrift to that list of those who could pull off such a daunting amalgam of styles and do it so well. Ambitious bands that initially got lumped in with the masses, but eventually set themselves apart with fearlessness and writing skills. A few bands have danced on this wire before from Baroness, Mastodon, Elder, Kylesa, and others. Like the perfect concoction of heavy, catchy and progressive music, the band has delivered a new album in Divided By Darkness ( 20 Buck Spin) that is just heads and shoulders above its peers. Spirit Adrift is back to bash your eardrums in with riffs, melodies, beats, and deep thoughts. Get ready to subvert your opinions of what modern metal is and toss out your genre tags.