Review SPIRIT ADRIFT ‘Ghost at the Gallows’

Spirit Adrift started as a solo project by Nate Garrett who is still the driving force. He started the endeavor in 2015 and over time, Spirit Adrift evolved to a full touring band and so far four studio albums. The fifth offer is now ready to hit the shelves, a record entitled ‘Ghost at the Gallows’.

The fifth full-length album is the most mature one to date. With Garrett following his musical vision, the music on ‘Ghost at the Gallows’ presents traditional heavy metal in all its nuances. There is the slower and doomy ‘Death Won’t Stop Me’ as well the Maiden-reminding ‘Barn Burner’. The link to the NWoBHM legend is less about the song in its entirety. The guitar riff and leads are the factor that link to the guitar sound of Iron Maiden, especially in the beginning of the track.

No speed limit, that is the approach of the upbeat ‘Hanged Man’s Revenge’. Some 80s melodic metal references are what is included in ‘I Shall Return’. While mentioning all the references, it is also needed to say that each of these songs has enough of their own identity to bring them to life. A leap towards the sound of the 90s is what ‘Siren of the South’ entails before the title track heralds the grand finale of the album. In almost eight minutes, Spirit Adrift sums up all they have presented in the previous songs. Slower paced and equipped with thundering guitars, the rhythm-driven song is dark. Because the album lyrically reflects all states of grief, it makes total sense to finish the record off with such a melancholic and gloomy anthem.