Spirit Adrift: The Duality of (a) Man

When asked what SPIRIT ADRIFT’s Divided by Darkness represented to him, lead singer/songwriter Nate Garrett simply replies, “an attempt to process a lot of really ugly internal conflict without resorting to physical violence.”

That conflict is the driving force between the trad-metal darlings out of Phoenix, Arizona, though any label is something Garrett would rather apply to his band. “I don’t care one iota about genre, sub-genre, what’s cool at any given time, any of that,” he explains. “I’m never going to change the way I operate. My only rule is to do whatever the fuck I want to do.” That ethos was never more clear than when Divided by Darkness, SPIRIT ADRIFT’s third album, was released in May of last year. The record took what Garrett had done on his previous album, Curse of Conception, and expanded upon it in every way. Musically, the record is even more of a love letter to everything that made the golden age of metal, the late 70s and early 80s, spectacular. That’s been the modus operandi for Garrett since the beginning of the SPIRIT ADRIFT project, and it’s clearer than ever how deep his love for that era of classic metal, and the dedication it took to make it, runs.

“Bands were just better,” he remarks of the era. “I’m not trying to sound nostalgic, and I have no blind allegiance to that era, but you had to be a top-tier musician back then. I just think people’s work ethic, skill level, knowledge of music history and theory, and dedication to the psychedelic/artistic experience was at a different level. Nobody was handing out participation trophies back then.”

Right off the bat, opening track We Will Not Die features soaring guitar harmonies IRON MAIDEN would be proud of and thick, layered riffs with a tone that feels right at home in today’s world of sludge and stoner metal. And the record continues on like this, track after track. It’s no surprise it got so much positive attention from the likes of Revolver and Pitchfork upon its release; it’s well deserved. There are absolute ragers like Born into Fire, and Hear Her whose crushing main riffs, lead guitar work, and marching rhythms were tailor made for headbangers the world over. They’re MASTODON-esque in all the best ways.

“Every day I get better at this,” Garett remarks regarding his riff writing ability. “It takes a lot of self honesty and ego obliteration to arrive at a place where you objectively know what’s cool, and more importantly what’s not cool. I think I’m at that place. If I pick up a guitar and write some weak bullshit, it doesn’t stand a chance at ever seeing the light of day.”

Then there are tracks that really place a spotlight on Garrett’s piercing voice and ability to play with melody. He roars on the title track Divided by Darkness and weaves his voice in between some really incredible guitar intricacies on Angel & Abyss, which culminates in one of the most fist pumping riffs you’ll have heard in a long time. There’s the prog tinges of The Way of Return, featuring some of the most accurate recapturing of the giants of the 70s prog scene in its synth work and bluesy guitar bends. And Living Light concludes with a soaring chorus of Garrett’s voice, and it’s just as hooky and fulfilling an end to a record as you could hope for. It doesn’t overstay its welcome, and its runtime is consistently interesting and immensely catchy and accessible in equal measure. That hookiness is something Garrett actively worked on for the creation of this record. “It’s by far the hardest part of my job,” he explains. “I’ve been more aware of the sounds of words themselves, and more importantly the sound of a word. I’m getting better at uncovering the natural melody that exists within the song. It’s more of a discovery than an invention.”

It’s all of this that paid off so well for SPIRIT ADRIFT, as this year the band signed to Century Media Records, a legendary label with a storied roster of artists over the years. On top of that, Century Media re-released Divided by Darkness on April 24th, a move sure to find the ears of even more listeners across the world. But Garrett wants those listeners to know that making this record was certainly not an easy journey. That conflict mentioned earlier formed the genesis of his lyrical content on the album. “Divided by Darkness involved exorcising a lot of anger, rage, and negativity,” Garrett reveals. “It was difficult to the point of being miserable at times, but as with every album process, it made me a better person.”

Diving deep into the lyrics on the album, it’s clear Garrett is pulling from many free-thinking sources, and some darker than others. Lyrics like ‘The angel reappeared and lit the path. Returning to eternity, this path encapsulates the future and the past. This path is only you and me. Learn to be unborn, dying to transform, Conditioned to resist. Destined to emerge from the Abyss,’ from Born into Fire, are of course perfectly metal lyrics, but the story behind them and those on the rest of the album were partially crafted in the utmost metal way possible.

“I was reading a book about LED ZEPPELIN, and all the stuff about Jimmy Page and [Aleister] Crowley, and one of the goals on this record was to try and tap into whatever scary shit Jimmy Page tapped into,” Garret explains. “I’m not saying I accomplished that, but I definitely made a concerted effort.” And going beyond Crowley, Garrett went even deeper to paint a picture of the ethos of the entire record. “It’s the duality of man. The Jungian thing. It’s the internal and external conflict of both the individual and the collective species.”

Conflict. Pain. Dark Magick. It’s no wonder such an authentic record in the tradition of the metal greats of decades past emerged from Garrett’s mind. And with Century Media now fully behind the band and the record, one can only hope that the album will now bring that spirit (adrift) to innumerably more people eager for a fresh change of pace in the metal world.

This is a record that with every note and word that Nate Garrett sings, the pain can be heard leaving his body, and with every riff, the headbanging sure to ensue will help the audience exorcise their own pain. Perhaps it was made for that very purpose, whether Garrett knew it or not. But at least in terms of inspiring other bands in an era where traditional metal is certainly pervading the greater metal space like never before, he certainly is aware of his band’s influence. And as long as Garrett and SPIRIT ADRIFT carries the torch, the legacy of what made metal great will never burn out. “SPIRIT ADRIFT has already inspired a few bands/artists on different levels, which is awesome,” Garrett remarks. “That’s the whole point.”

Divided By Darkness (re-issue) is now via Century Media Records.

Like SPIRIT ADRIFT on Facebook.