Drain me, blame me, suck me ‘til I’m dry
Spiridion is a five-piece alternative metal band from Newport in South Wales. They have been lucky enough to obtain their own studio and could take their time to record 'A Moment of Clarity'. Most unsigned bands will never have such an opportunity and the result is an absolute gem. 'A Moment of Clarity' is truly a masterpiece and will be released on 9 July 2010 through Rock Paper Scissors Records.
It is not possible to pigeonhole Spiridion as they have a very unique sound and delivered a very individual album. However it is possibly best described as alternative, progressive, technical and maybe even a little bit of doom metal. To associate their unique sound is a bit tricky, as it is not that limited, but they almost sound like Deftones on the vocals complimented with the fuller and technical sound of Tool and a bit of System of a Down thrown in for good measure.
Opening track 'Thirty Eight & Gone' introduce us to Spiridion with the future mosh pit classic lyrics ‘Drain me, blame me, suck me ‘til I’m dry, hate me, crave me, until I finally die’ you should watch this space. The bass, provided by Chris Alleson, are very prominent and ever assaulting the ears. This is obviously a result of artists being directly involved with the production on an executive level; and taking their time to obtain the perfect sound intended for the songs when they composed it. 'Pedestal' is my personal favourite track, not only for the awesome vibe, but also because it attacks what most people loathe, namely people whose only goal in life is to be better than others and look down on all us peasants. But we wait to see them fail, and nobody will break their fall. The lyrics in all the songs are clear, direct and to the point; and provided in the sleeve notes.
As we progress through the album it becomes heavier. 'Inflicted' blasts out with almost hard core vocals expressing opinion on faith and religion. This is then followed by the instrumental “Pareidolia” which is a progressive venture into alternative metal.
The extremely versatile vocals on this album are delivered by Ross Cocker and this is supported by the genius guitar works delivered by Kevin Llewellin and Jason Davies. Phil Smith, who also mixed and engineered this album, completes the band on the drums.
Spiridion will be launching 'A Moment of Clarity' at Cardiff’s Barfly on 9 July. This will then be followed by a nationwide tour in the Autumn. I will definitely catch them on tour.