The Whisperer

Spires is a Manchester, England foursome that insists on adorning the extreme prog attire Opeth fully abandoned after "Watershed". Of course they add their own spin because they don't wanna be too obvious with the copycatting and they manage to sound fresh and exciting because this is after all, a niche area of metal where two bands are not likely to sound the same even when they derive heartily from the same source. I also like them way more than Ne Obliviscaris and Black Crown Initiate who annoy me more than they dazzle me. Spires draws more from the psychedelic well of things with their odd lead guitar-heavy songs that they then infuse with driving tight rhythms. It's not death metal at all, these digressions into heaviness, just really amping the heck out of the low end to approximate what Testament were doing on say, "The Gathering" or "Demonic". The riffs are complex but also friendly and familiar enough to not turn you off. Really what they do is stretch things out to their furthest but Opeth and all the aforementioned bands have a leg up on them in actual technicality. Technical-ness?

What I appreciate the most about "The Whisperer" is the warmth of those psychey passages, man. These guys are not doing your typical Opethian swirl-into-the-acoustic-meanderrealm trope amidst all the latter-era Testament dark n' heavy parts; they craft melodic twinges based off the actual rhythmic sections. Flavorful arpeggiation and loosely ascending solos galore. It actually progresses, there's minimal abruptness and while it takes its time (because they follow each notes sequence to its logical end and then some), all the songs fully resolve and leave you satisfied. Or something to that effect. I'd suggest checking out "Primal Revelation" for an illustration of my point. It is just under 7 minutes - which is a rarity on this album - and rushes through fragmented patterns towards a latter section that nicely ties everything up. Richard Corrie plays the bulk of the melodic guitar twists and turns and his style is cribbed from the play-from-gut David Gilmour school. It works wonders on "Ethereal Organisms" and my personal favorite "The Fevered Spirit" which is just chocked tight with spasming riffs that he gives some air with his looser fiddling. Paul Sadler is the main composer, I gather, and he does the vocals as well.

Now a song like "The Fevered Spirit" calls Tool to mind with those sparse and rumbly parts that the band draws out to full dramatic effect before launching into soaring heaviness, and with lyrics that run along these lines;

"With ritualistic reverence, we treasure primal ignorance
Oh, for an earthly vision, an untamed desire
Even though through imperial eyes, does man begin to realise
Oh, with an aching spirit, that his deeds will be undone"

It is a call to abhor the tight grip of spiritual indoctrination or so I surmised. The band's name and lyrics spin on the axis of attaining transcendence that is outside of the lines of religion. Paul Sadler's voice when delivering these intimations goes through a series of maneuvers. He is oftentimes plaintive and beseeching at his cleanest and the rougher and growlier end is like, totally ripped from Mikael Åkerfeldt. I love his cleans, they are wholesome and weirdly soothing and perfectly convey the conviction of his messages. The epic-length title track is bearable because of his guiding vocals as the instrumental fleshes out its more interesting parts. That chorus of "Step inside and taste the fruit of love and fear/Cast aside these shackles of our innocence/And may your eyes forever open" is delivered so sonorously and with gallons upon gallons of feeling. Spires really know how to maximize every strength they possess. I also have to mention how reminiscent of Symphony X's "The Accolade" those strings on "Elsewhere" are. A bit of hat-tipping, I suppose.

This is a memorable album when all is said and done. But only if you like prog. It is maximal but there's so much labor and effort put into it that you gotta respect these dudes if all else fails. The drumming is not that spectacular, which I found strange, considering THIS IS PROG. But it is serviceable. The bassist reminds me of John Myung with his runs and fills and I wish they'd let him stand out a bit more (but then I usually wish that for John Myung too) and the lyrics are very, very good. Spires is no more and this style of Opethian extreme prog is in its twilight years but for my money (and I ain't got much) this is one of the better showings of it all.