E.P. Review: Spirit Adrift - Forge Your Future
Reviewed by Paul Hutchings
I admit I’m a bit late to the Spirit Adrift party. Although the band have been in existence since 2015, formed by multi-instrumentalist Nate Garrett (Gatecreeper), it was only last year’s ‘Enlightened in Eternity’ that pushed the band onto my radar. Having still not spent enough time on the previous three releases, debut Chained to Oblivion, 2017’s Curse of Conception and 2019’s Divided by Darkness, the latest E.P. provides at least an opportunity to get more acquainted with the current work from an artist whose output is impressive in both quantity and quality.
‘Forge Your Future’ sees Garrett and drummer Marcus Bryant move into the next stage of the band’s musical development with guitarist Eric Wagner and bassist Chase Mason no longer part of the band. Three tracks which total 19 minutes in length provide ample opportunity to take a delicious drink from the pool. The musicianship is stellar, the music a combination of melodic metal, classic hard rock and just a small smattering of doom. It’s bloody good heavy metal.
There’s a beautiful classic feel to the intro of the title track that opens the E.P. Maiden-esque in many ways, thanks to the melodies and feel, there are also touches of Metallica as well as a nod to the likes of UFO. It’s a smouldering, mournful track that builds in tempo as it progresses. Garrett’s vocals are rich and soulful, his guitarwork sharp and incisive. It’s a cracking song with echoes of early Ozzy also evident.
By contrast, there’s a faster drive on track two, ‘Wake Up’ but that melody and those delicious hooks remain completely central to the song. The chorus is catchy, the shredding adding depth whilst the soaring solos prompt comparisons with ‘Crazy Train’ in its power and direction. Concluding track ‘Invisible Enemy’ ensures the E.P. finishes strongly. It’s a feisty, seven-minute epic which opens in true metal style, military precision drumming and dramatic lead work before the riff takes hold and the track kicks off. It builds into quite an anthemic piece, which provides opportunity for a very enjoyable and wild ride which ebbs and flows as it develops.
Whilst Spirit Adrift have an element of old school nostalgia about their music, there’s enough freshness and originality in their sound to appeal to a wide cross section of the metal community. Now, time to dive back into that catalogue.
