Spirit Adrift - "Angel & Abyss Redux EP"

Photo credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqLDyOreqPY

        Heavy Metal/Doom Metal outfit Spirit Adrift dropped an EP titled "Angel & Abyss Redux EP" on June 18, 2020 to support one of Bandcamp's donation campaigns. The release is supporting the June 19th, 2020, NAACP Legal Defense Fund campaign, and further, they've decided that "100% of proceeds from this EP will be donated to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, in perpetuity." It's been refreshing to see so many bands setting things up to contribute to so many causes these days.

        The first track is the title track "Angel and Abyss Redux". Seeing redux in the title I realized this had some older material it was referencing. According to guitar and vocalist Nate Garrett, it is performed with an "unplugged" vibe to it, featuring clean tone guitars and a hint of reverb/delay to give it that unplugged experience. The original was released in 2019 on Spirit Adrift's album "Divided By Darkness". I scrubbed through the original and honestly, I like this version a lot better. It feels like a much more cohesive product with some excellent musical moments. The dual guitar riffs really shine in this version. My favorite though is this punchy riff that takes over at ~4:30. It feels like this weirdly great blend of Doom and Prog, like a Jethro Tull with attitude. This was the strongest track on the EP.

        Track two is "I Think Of Demons" and it's a cover of Roky Erickson & The Aliens. It's a fun acoustic psych-pop track that holds true to the original pretty closely. The leads sound great, and the overall track is pretty fun to listen to. However, this is a strange turn for an EP from a Heavy Metal group. Were someone to send me this track and only this track, I'd never guess they were a Metal band. Still, it's worth a listen.

        Track three is a cover of the Jimi Hendrix Experience's track "The Wind Cried Mary". This is arguably my favorite Hendrix track, and this cover had a high bar to clear. Garrett claimed "The Wind Cries Mary" was "one of the first songs I ever learned to play, and Hendrix is the reason I picked up a guitar in the first place. Another obvious choice." Unfortunately, this was, for me, the weakest track on this EP. It was an interesting choice, but the guitars are so washed out in the mix that those nuances in the riffs are almost lost, and the solo really suffers due to the reverb wash as well. It does provide a sense of being otherworldly, which might be the only saving grace of the mixing choice. The vocal performance is great, and on the final "The Wind Cries Mary" there is a great vocal harmony that spiced things up. I wish they had explored the vocal harmonies more, as it may have added something back into the mix that was lost with the guitars.

        With a run time of 12 minutes and 11 seconds, this EP is a quick and dirty listen that is worth checking out. Buying it supports a good cause, and it's a pretty fresh take the tracks featured. Favorite track was the title track, but that Erickson track is absolutely worth checking out as well. This EP was released on the 20 Buck Spin label and features Nate Garrett on guitars, vocals, and handclaps, Marcus Bryant on bongos and shakers, Leon Del Muerte on synths, and Mystical handclaps by Hosianna Mantra.



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