Released by: Independent Release
Release Date: Out Now!!!
Genre: Progressive Metal
Links: http://www.myspace.com/spiresmetal
Line Up:
Paul Sadler – guitar / vocals
Paul Cuthbert – guitar
Alex Jolley – Bass
Chris Barnard – Drums
In case you notice here at Myglobalmind, we do a mix list of reviews when it comes to certain genres and what we accept as promos. Myself personally have never been the most hardcore death metal fan around, but can appreciate bands like Opeth, Dark Tranquility or even old school In Flames. So when new bands like Spires comes along I am totally surprised as to what I can find in this unique sound.
These 4 piece unit hailing from Manchester have been a steady line up since 2008 and even though their sound at its root is progressive metal, they mix in elements of death metal and melodic all in there for an interesting unbalanced experience. I mentioned Opeth earlier and the Spires sound can be compared in spots to the Swedish greats, although not nearly as complex in songwriting. You’ll notice on tracks like “Equilibrium” and “The Infinite Descent”, a malevolent pounding dark guitar rhythms a little like some old school Psychotic Waltz. I don’t mind the extended death growls on each track as the songs are balanced nicely with the clean vocals by front man and guitarist Paul Sadler.
A few of the 3 epic songs on “Spiral of Ascension” stand out and one of them is the melodic haunting of “Broken Hourglass” which does a nice job with a delight contrast in rhythm at the beginning when it starts slow and picks up as the evil vocals check in to run it’s course. The writing on this track makes it stand out much more in my opinion. A couple of the other longer tracks use the same formula, undertone heaviness blend in with more progressive approaches sometimes sounding like Tool in spots.
I felt the sound could be more exploited because the softer sides are tend to drag on a bit over the same rhythm, maybe more intensity in those spots can pick up the melodic flow. In essence Spires is a promising band that with a little more refinement in their music can make a name for themselves. They have the right idea in mind and perhaps just working on their style a bit more with better production could push the band to breakthrough status. Either way is a nice release to check out for curious minds of the progressive metal genre.
Written by Denys
Ratings Denys 7/10
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