Post by Kevin on Aug 8, 2002 10:35:22 GMT -5
Band: Spiritu
Album: Spiritu
Format: CD
Label: MeteorCity
Time: 42 Minutes
Year: 2002
Track list:
Z [Noonday Demon]
Fat man in Thailand
Glorywhore
Clean Livin’<br>Woman Tamer
Slump
Cover Photo: www.stonerrock.com/mcd/info.asp?item_num=ATH-1295&custid=713838.871&tempcustid=True&cartstatus=
There are no pretenders to the throne of heavy music in New Mexico, USA, because Spiritu has burned them to the finest ash, and the ash has blown away on a doomed radioactive wind. Spiritu strides the world like a hundred-foot mutant in a 1950s science fiction movie, shaking nu-metal groups to the core and laughing as they try to scatter before being squashed like the treacherous bugs they are.
The band is fronted by vocalist Jadd, noted MeteorCity labelmeister and tastemaker. His higher-register, clean vocals would sound right at home in the late British blues boom of the early 70s, say in a duet with Humble Pie’s Steve Marriot. I also hear echoes of Jeff Shirilla, singer for Ohio doomsters Abdullah, and I’ll even go out on a limb and say he sometimes reminds me of Erica Stolz of Lost Goat, like in the chorus of ‘Fat man in Thailand.’ Why? I don’t know, exactly; maybe its the intonation. But rest assured, there is no higher compliment! Combine Jadd’s vocals and excellent, thoughtful lyrics with John and Chav’s churning, doomed guitars and James’ slamming drumming, and you’ve got a recipe for riffing doom that doesn’t sound quite like anyone else.
‘Spiritu’ is exactly as long as it needs to be; even a second of filler would have seriously diminished the effect. Thankfully, there’s no filler to be found. ‘Z [Noonday Demon] sets the stage with majestic doomed power chords which evolve into a mid-paced doom anthem filled with roiling guitars and that early-70s inspired vocal style we love. ‘Glorywhore’ is a bluesy, doomy masterpiece with some great wah-wah bass, and ‘Clean Livin’” shows that Spiritu can charge ahead with a rhythmic piledriver of a song, yet still keep an aura of doom overall. They add in a crushing cover of Sir Lord Baltimore’s ‘Woman Tamer’ to keep things interesting, before sending the whole thing into space with ‘Slump’ with its killer, wah-drenched guitar solo and congas(!).
I’ll admit that when I first received this debut effort, I thought “uh-oh, hobby band.” No worries; this release carries on in the high-quality MeteorCity tradition, and seriously outshines some of the roster while they’re at it. Studio vet Jack Endino recorded and mixed this disc, and he’s outdone himself in the Warm and Fat departments. Some have compared Spiritu’s sound to Pink Floyd, but to be honest I don’t really hear it. But if you like riffing doomsters like Oversoul, Abdullah, Solitude Aeternus, or Goatsnake, this one’s for you. All I can say is “DAMN!”<br>
Kevin McHugh
Album: Spiritu
Format: CD
Label: MeteorCity
Time: 42 Minutes
Year: 2002
Track list:
Z [Noonday Demon]
Fat man in Thailand
Glorywhore
Clean Livin’<br>Woman Tamer
Slump
Cover Photo: www.stonerrock.com/mcd/info.asp?item_num=ATH-1295&custid=713838.871&tempcustid=True&cartstatus=
There are no pretenders to the throne of heavy music in New Mexico, USA, because Spiritu has burned them to the finest ash, and the ash has blown away on a doomed radioactive wind. Spiritu strides the world like a hundred-foot mutant in a 1950s science fiction movie, shaking nu-metal groups to the core and laughing as they try to scatter before being squashed like the treacherous bugs they are.
The band is fronted by vocalist Jadd, noted MeteorCity labelmeister and tastemaker. His higher-register, clean vocals would sound right at home in the late British blues boom of the early 70s, say in a duet with Humble Pie’s Steve Marriot. I also hear echoes of Jeff Shirilla, singer for Ohio doomsters Abdullah, and I’ll even go out on a limb and say he sometimes reminds me of Erica Stolz of Lost Goat, like in the chorus of ‘Fat man in Thailand.’ Why? I don’t know, exactly; maybe its the intonation. But rest assured, there is no higher compliment! Combine Jadd’s vocals and excellent, thoughtful lyrics with John and Chav’s churning, doomed guitars and James’ slamming drumming, and you’ve got a recipe for riffing doom that doesn’t sound quite like anyone else.
‘Spiritu’ is exactly as long as it needs to be; even a second of filler would have seriously diminished the effect. Thankfully, there’s no filler to be found. ‘Z [Noonday Demon] sets the stage with majestic doomed power chords which evolve into a mid-paced doom anthem filled with roiling guitars and that early-70s inspired vocal style we love. ‘Glorywhore’ is a bluesy, doomy masterpiece with some great wah-wah bass, and ‘Clean Livin’” shows that Spiritu can charge ahead with a rhythmic piledriver of a song, yet still keep an aura of doom overall. They add in a crushing cover of Sir Lord Baltimore’s ‘Woman Tamer’ to keep things interesting, before sending the whole thing into space with ‘Slump’ with its killer, wah-drenched guitar solo and congas(!).
I’ll admit that when I first received this debut effort, I thought “uh-oh, hobby band.” No worries; this release carries on in the high-quality MeteorCity tradition, and seriously outshines some of the roster while they’re at it. Studio vet Jack Endino recorded and mixed this disc, and he’s outdone himself in the Warm and Fat departments. Some have compared Spiritu’s sound to Pink Floyd, but to be honest I don’t really hear it. But if you like riffing doomsters like Oversoul, Abdullah, Solitude Aeternus, or Goatsnake, this one’s for you. All I can say is “DAMN!”<br>
Kevin McHugh
