How do I describe Spiritworld in a way that not only makes sense, but does the band justice…? Imagine if you took Ennio Morricone, Volbeat & Slayer and tossed them all in a blender. Nope…Right, Mastodon tripping in the desert while writing a concept album about From Dusk Till Dawn. That one might actually be a little closer. For the uninitiated they are the brainchild of Stu Folsom, and Helldorado is the latest in the band’s ongoing saga. Following their previous two albums Pagan Rhythms & Deathwestern as well as the Godlessness novel. They all inhabit the same world, episodically telling the same story.
I’ll be the first to admit the lore of it all goes a little bit over my head,particularly as this album is my introduction to the band. The good news is that the story and how easy it is or not to follow shouldn’t deter you from the music, which is frankly stellar and can be enjoyed in and of itself.
From the opening moments of Abilene Grime, you should have a rough idea of what you are into. Starting off with a little bluegrass swing, before being literally dragged to hell as the song mutates with a giant Slayer-eque riff that comes out of nowhere and kicks you square in the jaw.
No Vacancy In Heaven keeps the intensity up. Sounding like it was conjured from the bowels of hell itself. Solo’s ring out like the screams of the damned, the riffs grind and contort as if played on guitars forged by the devil himself. Western Stars & The Apocalypse picks up immediately and continues the sinister grind, feeling like a boot on your neck. It’s a slow burn of track that doesn’t let up until its final moments ring out.
Bird Song Of Death offers up the complete opposite then. A full blown outlaw Country anthem, with plucky acoustics, hand claps & gang vocals. It sounds like the valiant rallying cry around the local watering hole on a Friday night. Prayer Lips changes the pace even further, taking things all the way down. It’s a moment of tender vulnerability amidst all of the visceral carnage that makes up the rest of the album. It even manages to slip a little soulful sax in for good measure.
The moment of serenity is short lived though as Waiting on the Reaper dials the metal mayhem all the way back up to 11. Oblivion is accurately named, a hulking great mass of rffage, manic almost possessed sounding vocals and enough groove to put a McCoys crisps factory out of business. Even in the instrumental moments like Cleansing there is a sense of unease and impending menace. This album and this band never want you to feel comfortable, everything is designed to have you thinking WTF is going to happen next.
Stigmata is as gnarly as the name suggests. It’s basically the sound of Hatebreed playing a house show, but the house belongs to a bunch of demons and everyone in the pit has a ouija board. The album closer Annihilism flips the script one final time, choosing not to go out with a cataclysmic burst of brutality. Instead the album ends with a reflective, somewhat existential bit of country balladeering. Proving the point once again that Spiritworld really do want to keep you on your toes, to where you never know what they are going to do next.
Helldorado is a lot. There are a lot of things flying at you from all directions and it won’t be for everyone. There are certainly moments that don’t work, but they are few and far between. Some listeners may struggle with the whiplash inducing change of pace between styles, while others along for the ride will see the bigger picture and take it all in. It’s refreshing to see a band who have lore and a vision go about it in a way that embraces it and uses it to elevate their artistry rather than a marketing gimmick to hide limited range like some do.
If, like me you foolishly let Spiritworld pass you by until now then Helldorado is a good place to jump in and test the waters, maybe grab a beer, kill some demons while you’re here, see what happens…In any event it’s time to get yourself acquainted with some real cowboys from hell.
Helldorado is out on March 21st, 2025 via Century Media. For more information on Spiritworld including album pre orders head here
