Through the years, Spirit Adrift transformed from a traditional doom metal sound toward a classically inclined heavy metal approach. Listening to their new, and by all accounts final, record, this evolution does not feel so much like a gradual change as a rediscovery of a forgotten truth, one heard in the shift from lumbering doom riffs to twin-guitar leads that spiral closer to classic heavy metal. The Black Sabbath-ian lineage gave birth to a heavy metal form, but that same form was never singular; it always contained divergent expressions that could be reinvigorated from within. Infinite Illumination aims to channel these strands of heavy metal, presenting an overarching view of the genre.
“I Am Sustained” offers a concentrated metallic tour de force. So much about the song screams traditional heavy metal spirit, with melodic dual guitars spiralling into Thin Lizzy-esque madness and solo parts piercing through the mid-tempo progression. Even within this mode, there are fragments of different strains. The 1970s-era heaviness echoes through the determined riffs. The faster parts channel a thrash essence, but what are mere suggestions in “I Am Sustained” become fully fledged elsewhere.
The Black Sabbath ethos is the guiding force for Infinite Illumination. “Where Once There Was an Ocean” is drenched in a monolithic, otherworldly framework, its slow progression augmented through quasi-psychedelic applications. But later interpretations of that mode are as important. The title track oozes Trouble-esque quality, merging 1980s-sharp guitar playing and piercing vocals with a slow, determined pacing. The groove takes a southern turn with “Window Within”, gaining a swing and grit with a thicker tone leaning closer to mid-era Corrosion of Conformity.
It is easy to see how Spirit Adrift reach for a high-octane quality. It’s where traditional heavy metal touches with a latent thrash approach, an intersection between Diamond Head and Metallica. “Born in a Bad Way” and “White Death” take the pristine riffing of classic heavy metal and turn the pace down to doom depths. Suddenly, the thrash ideas become contorted, with riffs that would normally surge forward instead being dragged through a slower, heavier frame, losing momentum but gaining a ragged quality. It is exactly this blurring of boundaries that makes Spirit Adrift’s view on traditional metal so on point.
To that end, Nate Garrett and company succeed because they never waver from their heavy metal pedigree. They can tastefully awaken much of the 1980s sense of mystique. The acoustic passages and clean electric sections carry a strangely otherworldly, yet earthy feeling that narrates tales of woe. There is undoubtedly nostalgia here, but rather than simply presenting it, Spirit Adrift have made it their own. Most importantly, their heavy metal core is set, unchanging, and fundamental, but around this origin point, the doom and thrash satellites can still orbit because they are part of the same whole. Infinite Illumination is not just a reminder of that unity, but a demonstration of how naturally these extremes fold back into each other.