Band:	Spirit Adrift
Album:	Ghost At The Gallows
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	August 2023

01. Give Her To The River
02. Barn Burner
03. Hanged Man’s Revenge
04. These Two Hands
05. Death Won’t Stop Me
06. I Shall Return
07. Siren Of The South
08. Ghost At The Gallows

The heavy metal spirit certainly hasn't drifted away for Spirit Adrift just yet. In fact, their spirit from the Ghost At The Gallows remains as strong as ever.

Spirit Adrift is the U.S. heavy metal band (founded circa 2015) masterminded by multi-instrumentalist/vocalist and founding member Nate Garrett, with Tom Draper (guitars), Michael "Mike" Arellano (drummer), and Sonny DeCarlo's (bass) also amongst the ranks. Although the band are now considered a traditional heavy metal band, their original route took them down a slightly different path, where they've been known to have dabbled in some traditional doom as well as heavy metal, particularly on their 2016 debut Chained To Oblivion. Now, opting to take the traditional heavy metal approach even further, Spirit Adrift present what is now their sixth release to date, Ghost At The Gallows, which follows last year's release 20 Centuries Gone. What can we expect this time around, I wonder?

Going straight into the action, Ghost At The Gallows starts off with the highly impressive seven-minute-plus opening track "Give Her To The River". The track begins with a short and sweet acoustic melody, which soon erupts into a great, galloping, traditional heavy metal riff, and you're then soon introduced to some exceptional leads. The guitar work is wonderful, to say the least, but it's accompanied by an equally impressive up-beat rhythm section, including heavy, pounding drumming (which is exemplarily performed throughout) along with some exceptional bass work. Garrett also soon brings his energy and presence to play through his vocals that express the emotive lyrics behind the songwriting.

So, it's clear from this early stage that the musicianship quality is performed at an exceptional standard, and so too is the songwriting, I might add. The album is energetic, melodic and heavy — and, ultimately, an enjoyable listen. This is mainly due to the relentlessly energetic rhythm section, which drives the album forward, allowing the exceptional guitar duo Garrett and Draper to work their magic and provide an array of memorable, melodic leads and riffs. The softer sections such as the tear-jerking ballad-like first half of "These Two Hands" add much variety to the songwriting and structure, and that particular track is for me the highlight of the entire album. Garrett's soft vocals add the necessary amount of emotion, whilst the acoustic guitars also play a major part in the emotional first half of the track. The second half ups the tempo, and an excellent solo is featured to finish things off in dramatic fashion.

I can't say "These Two Hands" is the only highlight, however. Each track features a ton of memorable riffs and solos, and the drumming, in particular, is outstanding — so, it's certainly not an album lacking in consistency. There are moments here that would make for classic heavy metal anthem material such as the extremely catchy chorus of "I Shall Return". The closing title track finishes the album as good as the opening track "Give Her To The River" began the album. The final track is the longest (being just shy of eight minutes) and, again, features ballad-like moments, emotive lyrics, and all-round great songwriting and musical performances. And, to top it off, the track closes with an epic solo.

The only unfortunate downside is the vocals. Now, this isn't necessarily a bad vocal performance, and the singer is clearly not lacking passion and energy. It's just that the vocals don't quite match the standard of the brilliant instrumentation and excellent sound quality. Had the album, even ever so slightly, dropped in quality in those areas, his vocals perhaps wouldn't have been as much of an issue — but then we wouldn't have been in awe of the music we have before us here. So, it's a no-win situation, unfortunately.

Overall, Ghost At The Gallows could be considered one of Spirit Adrift's best releases yet (both from a memorability and performance perspective, at least), and it's certainly at the high end of the traditional heavy metal releases I've heard this year. Will it stand the test of time and be remembered for years to come? Well, it's doubtful. However, it's an enjoyable and well-made heavy metal album with some excellent performances that'll certainly be remembered come the end of the year, regardless.