Spiral Grave – Ill Repute

Spiral Grave
Ill Repute
Label: Argonauta Records
Out: July 12^th, 2024
Playing time: 44:30

Spiral Grave, the esteemed US Doom Metal ensemble comprised of veterans from Iron Man and Lord, is set to unveil their highly anticipated new album ‘Ill Repute’ via Argonauta Records on July 12th.

According to the announcement in the press release. The band was founded back in 2018 after the band Iron Man disbanded. Lord hardly seems to be active anymore either. The band from Maryland (Virginia, USA) had various live gigs and started writing songs for the debut album ‘Legacy of the Anointed’, which was released in 2021. However, work on the follow-up ‘Ill Repute’ proved difficult due to the coronavirus lockdowns. It therefore took until July of this year before it could be released.

Watching From The Sky’ immediately kicks things off. You can hear the unbridled power right from the start. Singer Screaming Mad Dee sounds slightly raspy but extremely powerful. But does this unspeakable stage name have to be? This is blasting heavy metal with a small amount of Doom. That’s what you get on ‘Eulogy For Queen City (21502)’. With wah-wah effect guitars and dark melodic arcs. But later the tempo picks up a little. Epic Doom of the Candlemass brand. The ballad ‘My Angel Comes Tonight’ starts with clear guitar melodies. Dee shows his emotional side here. But as soon as the full force of the rhythm section kicks in, the contemplation is over. ‘The Death Of Ronnie M’ then rocks off again. The riffs from lower-tuned guitars and the powerful vocals dominate. The brute ‘Lungful Of Blood’ also features a massive wah-wah effect that moves from left to right and back again in the speakers. The high tempo of the vocals and instrumental accompaniment is beyond the realms of Doom. There is a clear Thrash side to it. Is there such a thing as ‘Doom Thrash’? In the title track ‘Ill Repute’, the tempo is slowed down again. It goes back to epic Doom Metal. A powerful bass line and very rhythmic-sounding riffs take centre stage here. The riffs are even heavier on ‘(Raising The) Chalice’. This and the quieter part that starts shortly afterwards create a goosebump-inducing atmosphere. ‘To Stare Down God’ is again very fast Doom Metal. Mad Dee nags and screams his head off.

Spiral Grave interpret the Doom Metal genre in their very own way. Powerful riffs and melodies from lower tuned guitars dominate almost throughout. This makes ‘Ill Repute’ a unique sound experience. It is good to hear that the band has not copied the genre titans, but has found its very own style.

Spiral Grave – Lungful Of Blood: https://youtu.be/2tpM3aTL0Vc?si=Lv2yX7OnMYNNAZNP

Lineup:

Screaming Mad Dee aka Dee Calhoun – Vocals
Willy Rivera – Guitar
“Iron” Louis Strachan – Bass
Jason “Mot” Waldmann – Drums

Track list:

• Watching From The Sky
• Eulogy For Queen City (21502)
• My Angel Comes Tonight
• The Death Of Ronnie M.
• Lungful Of Blood
• Ill Repute
• (Raising The) Chalice
• To Stare Down God