Dark and deep jungle drum beats smash down and as screaming guitars plough in to your ears, its like sitting in the middle of a forest listening to some enchanting voodoo tribal dance. Often rock music like this, that slowly builds and sways is ruined by a half hearted vocal or bad lyric but this is where rather than falling on their faces Spirytus excel. Be prepared to rock.
After the huge barrage of drumming and subtle yet powerful guitar intro, track one entitled ‘One Minute’, is given a dose of pure power and emotion with a really cool break down riff and fast ranting from the vocals. It breaks into a nice hook and this is rock that is well structured and has feeling. The bass and guitars interlink really well and by changing riffs and with some nice solos and break downs, the moving guitars and funky yet powerful drum and bass make a perfect backdrop for the vocals to paint on. This song has a really catchy hook and with the extra backing, slowly builds, mixing a rage against the machine style of modern metal with a more old skool feel. This is a very good start to the E.P and even though it repeats quite a lot and isn’t overly diverse with the catchy hooks and powerful drumming and vocals in makes you straight away stand up and take note of this band
‘Personal’ takes off where ‘One Minute’ left, with a great guitar riff that kicks you right in the ghoulies, once again the vocals come in and let the guitar break down really nicely. This song has a similar feel to the first track with once more, some great hooks and lyrics and the vocalist really has a great voice which mixes angry ranting and screaming with softer powerful bellows that are full of conviction and passion. Half way through this second track though Spirytus show a new level of imagination and diversity, with the riffs interchanging and swapping with some nice bass and guitar work that slowly builds back up into a chugging, powerful hook. The vocalist repeats over and over ‘bow before me’ and with a song this strong you have to think about getting on your knees!
The last track of this offering is ‘No-One knows’ and this shows a softer side with a beautiful riff, that has a more 70’s rock edge. This start has a really nice eerie edge that contrasts well with the heavy, powerful and angry metal we have been exposed to so far. It shows that this band really have a good range of influence and dynamic. The vocal again fits really well and shows its diversity with a much softer yet still strong and emotional edge. This time with the bass and guitar being softer, it is the vocal than starts the building, before the power kicks it up into another gear. This song is quite epic as it moves softly up and down with flowing guitar solos and emotion filled vocals, gently building before crashing down like a lemming falling from a skyscraper and becoming a emotion fueled hammer of a song by the end. This song shows all the good points Spirytus have to often, changing dynamic, tempo and feeling. With all instruments showing great technique and emotion and really slapping you around, it is a non stop emotional ride and quite breath-taking. The dynamic is immense and with the guitars swapping from eerie picking to powerful, crushing chords and soft, gentle solos to fast metal, madness, it seems to change, build and ooze emotion. No-one knows last for 8 minutes but unlike so many songs of this length. it consistently changes, with a great, powerful beefy metal break in the middle that descends into a softer solo and with great hooks from the guitars and vocals, the melodies and dynamic of this song are wonderful and it stands out as a genuine classic piece of song writing.
Spirytus’s songs are based round diverse and interesting guitar riffs and by mixing influences from 70’s psychedelic rock to 80’s metal and more modern rock and metal, they have an original and charming appeal. The drumming is really diverse, and by using the whole kit, it not only creates a barrage of noise which crashes in and out dragging the songs along but it also knows when to keep the beat simple and let the other instruments take the lead roles. Sometimes drummers try to be too clever, other times they aren’t clever enough and get static and boring. Spirytus have the perfect mix here in a drummer who not only can keep it simple but also can take centre stage and add power, emotion and divercity to their sound. The vocals have masses of character and emotion as well as showing originality and diversity.
This is really flowing and emotion filled rock with a nice mix of sounds and ideas and with the well written riffs and vocal hooks it is also very very catchy. If you have seen this band live you will know how much energy they induce. This recording shows that Spirytus not only have an original and unpredictable sound but also can in capture the energy and emotion they do live on record. This is powerful, diverse, enrapturing and beautiful rock with an ever changing and emotional dynamic that makes your heart pound.
Overall (4 / 5)
Review by Gaz
