THE SPIRIT – Of Clarity And Galactic Structures
June 16, 2022, 2 years ago
(AOP)
Of Clarity And Galactic Structures is the third full-length from German black/death metal masters The Spirit. Continuing to build from 2020’s Cosmic Terror, The Spirit continues to challenge themselves and listeners by taking their songwriting to the next level as the album takes on a more progressive influence that mixes Dissection, Sacramentum, and Symbolic-era Death.
Previously a three-piece band, The Spirit is now a duo with MT handling guitars, bass, and vocals and MS on the drums, delivering a technical, but tasteful display of rhythms and sometimes odd time signatures (the excellent “The Climax Of Dejection”). Taking on subjects of space, philosophy, and misanthropy, The Spirit writes their lyrics in an intriguing manner that meshes well with the intense musical landscape the band paints. The Spirit glides with seamless transitions, able to change riffs smoothly and with little disruption. Opener and title tracks checks all the boxes with an array of riffs in a spacious atmosphere. For a thrashier direction, “Celestial Fire” roars in with fiery guitars while “Repression” comes in with a strange, tribal type rhythm. Perhaps a peek into the future, closing instrumental “Laniakea” introduces a synth which really takes the guitar attack to a cosmic level.
The Spirit writes high-quality melodic black/death metal and the progressive influences are a welcome addition to this talented band. Will definitely go down as one of the best of 2022; be sure to support these guys!
