Nothing if not ambitious, Spires are a band who are something of an anachronism in the modern age. Entirely unafraid to take their time in crafting something truly worthwhile the band so far have produced new music at roughly two year intervals. 2010 saw the world get its first taste of Spires; the amazing debut, ‘spiral of ascension’ demonstrated an immense depth and maturity only for its follow up, a truly beautiful (and inspirational) EP that featured acoustic recordings, to surpass its achievements. A brave step for a metal band to take, particularly so early into their career, ‘lucid abstractions’ highlighted Spires’ independence of spirit and only increased the sense of anticipation for the next album. Crowd funded, ‘the whisperer’ has finally arrived and, if you were on of the lucky people to get in early, then you’ll find you have a limited, hand numbered digipack featuring the stunning artwork of Daniella Morrison whose imaginative images perfectly capture the sense of mystery and wonder inspired by Spires’ music.
A seven track effort, Spires are truly aspiring to the epic with this release. Three tracks clock in at well over the ten minute mark and two more easily break the six minute barrier yet Spires are, once again, in total command of their art. Nothing here is overworked or drawn out beyond tolerance, rather the expanded run times give the band the opportunity to explore their wonderfully varied sonic palette. Opening track ‘ethereal organisms’ is a case in point. Clocking in at fourteen minutes, the song opens with a rich string overture (played by Jacqueline Savickas (cello) and Ndrew (sic) Allmark (violin) that eventually leads the listener to a huge, doomy riff powered by Chris Barnard’s towering performance on the drums. There is a strong hint of Opeth here, but there is also much more and Spires’ blackened side is never far from sight even when Paul Sadler is employing his warm, clean vocals. Suspenseful and dramatic, ‘ethereal organisms’ is an intelligent, beautifully constructed and performed piece of work that deftly explores the many facets of extreme metal with an elegance that can hardly be overstated. Alex Jolley’s mastery of the fretless bass (a troublesome instrument at the best of times) is just one of the moments of brilliance to pick out of the opening track. His fluid phrases draw the band further into the realms of progressive metal whilst the addition of strings to key passages adds further depth and grandeur to the piece. Truly, I could write an entire article on this one opening track, but, not wishing to inspire drowsiness in you, the much valued reader, I shall restrain my impulses and move on.
‘At his behest’ is a shorter piece (a mere six minutes) and is, perhaps, the song a less confident band would have led with. Furiously brutal, it is a stunning display of technically proficient blackened death metal, but even here the band’s imaginative impulses are on display – just listen to Alex’s endlessly inventive bass lines underneath the pulverising riffs and guttural screams, whilst the band cannot resist counterpointing Paul’s evil bark with some beautifully melodic guitar work and layered backing vocals. Short and sweet, ‘Surrogate’ is the briefest of instrumentals which, with its gently picked acoustic work, harks back to ‘lucid abstractions’. It forms a perfect bridge between the explosive ‘at his behest’ and the equally savage ‘Primal revelation’ which offers little quarter during its roughshod six minute stampede through extreme metal’s more forbidding pastures. Another epic, ‘the fevered spirit’ is some eleven minutes in length, allowing for a lengthy instrumental introduction and multiple mood changes. With hints of Pink Floyd in its quieter passages, ‘the fevered spirit’ once more reasserts just how ambitious and innovative Spires are, and the shifts from brutal to beautiful are so deftly managed that the transition never feels anything less than natural. It is a difficult trick to pull off and yet Spires make it sound easy. Another wondrous departure, ‘Elsewhere’ is a choral piece that features amazing vocal and guitar work. Subtle, and quite breath taking in its simple beauty, ‘elsewhere’ is perfect.
The album’s final song is also its title track. At twenty minutes it is a huge, sweeping finale that takes in the band’s many influences and fuses them into one majestic piece of music that captures the imagination. Filled with lush strings, rich vocals and clean guitars, that is not to suggest that ‘the whisperer’ has no teeth, it simply takes its time in revealing them. A true progressive epic, ‘the whisperer’ reaches for the stars, with the band indulging in doomy textures, neo-classical elements, jazzy bass and, when the time comes, huge, discordant riffs. In the hands of a lesser band the result would be disjointed or dull, but such is the monumental confidence of Spires (matched by equally monumental ability) that the track is a brilliantly cohesive work that ebbs and flows across its run time, always sweeping the listener up in its grandiosity. It is the aural equivalent of Dr Zhivago, huge in scope, opulent and rich with detail and yet never lacking in humanity. Like the immense opening track, ‘the whisperer’ could be the subject of a thesis so utterly enthralling is it, and yet decorum demands I leave you to go and listen for yourself to see if my statements are justified or the mere hyperbole of a lifelong fan.
I could talk for hours about why Spires are one of the best bands in the UK today but what it boils down to, at least for me, is that Spires view technical proficiency not as an end in itself, a belief that often leaves music cold and inhuman, but as a gateway to writing songs that fire the imagination. I find it easy to imagine Spires inspiring their musical listeners to greater heights with their epic outpourings, whilst non-musical listeners may find themselves inspired to other creative endeavours by the band’s remarkable music. Spires aspire to great heights with ‘the whisperer’ and such is the album’s proficiency and depth that it is likely to appeal just as widely to those who have never bought an extreme metal album in their life as to those for whom metal is a way of life. ‘The Whisperer’ is, without doubt, a remarkable achievement. Musically stunning, it benefits from a deep and detailed production (handled by the band themselves) and mastering job (James Stephenson) that just begs you to play it loud. This is an album that, much like the band’s previous two efforts, will still be played in decades to come and I urge you to track down a copy no matter what your musical preferences. Any band that makes the listener want to engage in their own creative pursuits, whatever they may be, is truly special and must be treasured. Spires are one such band and the wonder of their music cannot be overstated – ‘the whisperer’ is a masterpiece and guaranteed to win the respect and admiration of all who hear it.
Don’t take my half-crazed word for it – listen here:
