Spiral Grave - Legacy Of The Anointed

When Al Morris, founder and guitar wizard of the legendary doom masters, Iron Man, sadly passed away, the remaining members, Lou Strachan, Mot Waldmann and Dee Calhoun regrouped and drafted another guitar genius, Willy Rivera. Thus Spiral Grave was born. Adopting a different musical foundation based on heavy and classic metal a la Iron Maiden, Judas Priest and Mercyful Fate, there are traces of Iron Man as well, and these guys know how to blend these ingredients the best possible way.

 

Spiral Grave take no prisoners which is very evident in the excellent opener, ‘Nightmare On May Eve’. Full throttle out of the starting blocks they unleash their fury with a pretty welcoming brutality mixed with the melodic traits of Iron Maiden. Halfway through they throw down the gauntlet and simply pummel me into oblivion. Bloody excellent, you hear! ‘Modern Day Golden Calf’ follows and man, that opening riff is crushing me…and once the band joins in, well that’s it. The song is not super fast, quite the opposite at first focusing more on complete submission while gradually building up the punishment they dish out. Wonderful! ‘Out Of My Head’ brings an amazing dose of Maryland doom, read Iron Man but in the shape of classic heavy-ass metal. And true to the title I get out of my head headbanging like a maniac. Oh man, that opening riff to ‘Nothing’ sets the tone immediately. A mid-paced song but rather crushing nonetheless. Suddenly Lou starts riffing on the bass as Willy plays a brilliant solo before the whole band kick in in full force again.

 

‘Your Enemy’s Enemy’ is kind of mid-paced as well but with the drive and go of a faster song, if that makes sense. Regardless, the switch between the more straight-ahead metal in the verses and the more harmonious choruses is excellent and it truly shows the many layers Spiral Grave puts in their songs…and yes, I love it! ‘Walking Talking Dead Man’ showcases the 4-string brilliance of Lou Strachan. The way he and Willy perform a twin-axe attack instead of a traditional bass and guitar setup elevates the music immensely, moving it out of conventional norms, thus making it brilliant. Putting this in a song which moves between semi-fast to heavy-ass fast makes it even better. ‘Tanglefoot’ starts off like Motörhead with Rob Halford on vocals has possessed the band as they unleash their fury…and that’s how the song plays out until about halfway through. Fast, furious and in your face. All of a sudden it slows down and becomes somber and reflective with Dee excelling. Just as sudden the band kick into full-on crushing mode and it’s amazing! Closer ‘Abgrund’ (German for abyss) brings back the doom as Mot leads the way. Dark and heavy on the mind the band simply annihilates. About halfway through Iron Maiden harmonies comes in before the gauntlet is thrown down…brilliant!

This is how a debut album should be. True, the guys are no spring chickens but it’s a debut nonetheless. However, the enormous talent within the ranks has been brought forth in the best possible way. ‘Legacy Of The Anointed’ is all you can ask for and then some. All four members excel and play at the top of their game pushing each other along, in a way I’m the slightest surprised but as a listener it is so satisfying to hear this. So check this out, miss it at your peril and keep your ears peeled eve more because Spiral Grave have just finished their sophomore album. Can’t wait to hear it. In the meantime, this one keeps crushing me!

 

-Swedebeast