Tag: SpiritAdrift

2023 Best of Metal: #15 Spirit Adrift-Ghost At The Gallows

Release date: 8/18/2023

Origin: Bastrop, TX

Personnel: Nate Garrett-vox/guitar/bass, Tom Draper-guitar, Mike Arellano-drums

Nice little band from my neck of the woods. Spirit Adrift is probably the closest to a traditional heavy metal band to enter the list so far. This is primarily a Nate Garrett driven project and he makes damn sure that the guitar riffs are king. Songs tend to toggle between straight ahead rockers and more subdued melancholy tales of woe. Nate’s turning out to be a fairly reliable source of metal since he has devoted all of his attention to the Spirit Adrift band.

4 flip flops out of 5

The list so far:

15. Spirit Adrift-Ghost At The Gallows
16. Church of Misery-Born Under a Mad Sign
17. Primordial-How It Ends
18. Imperium Dekadenz-Into Sorrow Evermore
19. Royal Thunder-Rebuilding The Mountain
20. Katatonia-Sky Void of Stars

Sprit Adrift-Forge Your Future

Brought to you by the letter “F”, Spirit Adrift has dropped this little EP as a “everyone-is-stuck-at-home-and-can’t-tour” in-between meal snack. Nate and his homies must have been Morbid Angel fans to keep rolling with this alphabet album title thing they’ve got going.

So, you’ve got three songs to tide you over until the next proper Spirit Adrift release. I’ve got to say that at least two of the songs on here, the title cut and album closer, Invisible Enemy, are better than anything on their last release, Enlightened in Eternity. They both have that classic unapologetic 80s metal-up-your-ass riffage. The middle song of the bunch, Wake Up, just doesn’t quite measure up to the other two songs on here. Kind of feels like something one of the also-ran NWOBHM bands like Tokyo Blade or Tygers of Pan Tang would have put out.

Not a bad little release overall. However, much like most EPs, it just leaves me wanting a bit more.

3.5 flip flops out of 5