Nuclear Blast Records
August 25
This is going to be an interesting review for me because it’s actually the first one I have ever done based solely on the quality of conversation I had with the band when I did the interview.
Legend has it that Till The Dirt frontman Kelly Shaefer is known as a “death metal revolutionary” for his work with Atheist who, along with bands like Morbid Angel, Death and Obituary helped shape the death metal genre as it is today.
After a period away from music Shaefer has returned with a new project in tow and is preparing to release their debut album Outside The Spiral on August 25.
So, armed with the recent knowledge that Kelly is an awesome human being and that alone, let’s plunge into the album!
Starring Role has the honour of introducing the album, and we are instantly blown away by a massive drum roll from Dylan Marks that almost knocks me off my seat.
The guitars enter menacingly courtesy of Jerry Witunsky and Ian Waye before Shaefer empties out his lungs and drags us kicking and screaming into sonic warfare.
Fuck yes.
This is brutally fast insanity, held together by an invisible thread of malevolence that seems reluctant to offer any form of respite.
The cleaner vocals alluded to by Shaefer in our chat pierce the moment and fall into line comfortably with the chaos going on around it.
A wicked guitar solo midway through only strengthens your resolve and inside three minutes Till The Dirt have already dug their claws in with a vice-like grip that would prove difficult to resist.
The title track burst forward next with a relentless barrage of sonic intensity before Shaefer starts barking orders and pulling everything into line.
It is actually exhausting trying to keep pace here but so far, so good.
This track is delivered with much more haste, before pulling back gently with some audible cleans over the top of a sludge heavy bottom end assault.
Is this even the same guy singing that I found approachable and nice yesterday? Talk about Jekyll & Hyde.
This is uncompromisingly heavy in parts, yet also strangely approachable in others without upsetting the dominating flow. It’s hard to gauge when analyzing the intricacies of just one song but whatever they are doing Till The Dirt have so far nailed the fuck out of it.
Privilege spits forth in a blanket of contempt, faster than fuck drums laying the platform for a sinister track that drips with demonic intent.
The guitars wail all the while in the foreground, with bass player Yoav Ruiz Feingold hammering his strings into submission. This all comes together to create an air of metallic confidence that is seldom heard on a band’s debut album.
But then again, not all bands have Kelly Shaefer as vocalist for their first album…
An unexpected guitar breakdown launches into a scintillating solo that adds yet more depth to proceedings, extending long enough to leave you wanting more but not enough to overstay its welcome.
As It Seems has a more tempered guitar riff to fire things up before settling into more of a hard rock number courtesy of a restrained vocal deliver from Shaefer that is pretty damn good!
Till The Dirt soon tire of their foray into rock and speed things up significantly, despite Shaefer continuing with his rock-orientated approach to singing. This changes up and backs down several times throughout the track, but it is a perfect introduction to the more soulful side of his voice that he spoke proudly about in our interview. Things take on a sinister turn part way through but revert to the earlier status quo effortlessly and concisely before another guitar solo takes you on a parallel trajectory that sharply dips back into normality as the rock status quo returns.
This song absolutely kicks ass and is by far my personal standout thus far.
Invitation has a wicked bass run to open before the rest of the band join in the party, obviously accepting the earlier invitation…
This song has an almost industrial underbelly that rises and falls in time to a more spoken vocal delivery that gathers urgency as the track progresses.
This is the first song where I have noticed a more conventional song structure with an obvious chorus, but that could also just be my tender ears acclimatizing to such a brutal assault.
Another delightful guitar solo brings things to a head three parts through, the thundering bass lines of Yoav Ruiz Feingold keeping check from the driver’s seat.
Forest Of Because breathes fire from the outside, carried by a tasty guitar lick that entices Shaefer out of solitude and back into battle. Once more he finds dignity in cleaner vocals which only serves to further accentuate the moments of calamity that will inevitably follow.
This track is more measured than the rest, seemingly following a more direct flightpath void of the sonic intrusions that are a regular feature in Till The Dirt’s music.
This almost has a Clutch type feel in parts (albeit with a large helping of aggression) and showcases the pleasant – if you could call it that – side of Till The Dirt.
An extended guitar solo carries this song into the heavens before plummeting back to Earth amid a bottom-heavy final salvo that borders on destruction.
Who Awaits starts with a catchy as fuck guitar riff before retreating into sludge territory as echoes vocals spread across the landscape, falling menacingly around you like a blanket of sorrow.
There is obviously some greater meaning to this song based on the mournful delivery, which is sporadically shaded in darkness and danger. A sudden guitar solo flips things on their head before pulling back into the sludgey abyss, a cavalcade of double kicks adding desperation despite the relative innocence in delivery.
Insist and Demand rises on a massive drum fill before Shaefer screams menacingly and once more takes control.
This song alternates between pretty much all of the styles outlined above, threading the eye of conformity by taking you into a subliminal comfort zone that surely cannot last.
Which it doesn’t as the kicks gain momentum before the guitars wail restlessly as the sonic forces of Hell rise with dignity and grace.
It is a strange yet clever track that is equal parts foreboding and enticing. Take that as you will!
The Good The Bad The Other has the hallmarks of another hard rock track before Shaefer barks menacingly into the microphone and throws all hopes of normalcy out of the studio.
From a fast-paced, uplifting opening salvo the song actually pulls right back momentarily, offering up said hard rock influences, before once more erupting in a wall of venom that beautifully highlights just two of the string of Till The Dirt’s sonic arsenal.
A swirling mess of distrust ensues as the track takes on an almost Ethereal feel that is almost hypnotic in nature.
Watch You Grow Old begins with some feedback before thunderous drums light up the landscape and carry us once more into the mysterious, dark world of Till The Dirt.
It is fair to point out here as well that Shaefer somehow enticed legendary producer Scott Burns (Cannibal Corpse, Sepultura, Obituary) out of self-imposed exile to work on this record, and it shows.
Burns has managed to capture a sonic portrait of light and shade, dominated by periods of darkness that manages to attack both your aural and visual senses. He has helped create a sound that thrives in disparity and casts off expectations and convention with monotonous ease, highlighting the sonic vision that Shaefer dared bring to life.
Bring On The Gods closes the album and rises on another almighty vocal scream from Shaefer that leaves no doubt as to his artistic pedigree.
As the guitars swirl and drums rise and fall, Bring On The Gods takes on a life of its own. The hard rock underbelly is in parts superseded by outright moments of annihilation, with neither threatening to diminish or dominate the other.
It is the perfect ending to an album that explores a plethora of styles and influences without hesitation and emerges triumphant because of this.
And the best thing is Kelly told me he had written more than enough material for two albums. Bring on the next one already!
*All reviews in HEAVY are just one person’s opinion of the album. We encourage honesty in reviews but just because our reviewer may or may not like/appreciate an album, that doesn’t mean their opinion is right! We encourage you to have a listen for yourself and make up your own minds!*
