Review by Sheri Bicheno for MPM
Back with a vengeance after 2022 saw the explosive DeathWestern album and a string of killer shows and festivals, Las Vegas’ Western Metal troopers SpiritWorld round up and set loose another rager.
Only this time, Helldorado has ingredients that don’t leave the listener with just elements of Western themes. No sirey, this time, you got the WHOLE DAMN CAKE.
Starting the album off, we’re introduced by Abilene Grime that gives an eerie organ pipe key followed by a scream and we’re catapulted into a catchy two step range of guitars.
Vocalist Stu Folsom has barking chords and are quite distinctively different from previous works – not as gnarly but definitely more commanding. Working with this new range completely gives a sharper tone from the offset of the album.
The catchiness seamlessly twists into heavier layers with proggy twangs of strings and then thrash infused riffs, engulfing the heaviness into maddening grooves and melodic breakdowns.
No Vacancy In Heaven purely flirts around with the thrash and hardcore edges to Spiritworld. Pure thrash skips of guitars, Randy Moore and Matt Schrum once again showcase how insanely well they bounce off each other.
Slayer-esque interludes running with speed bullet riffs rain in and seep through the hardcore roars of the vocals with an intensity so fierce, the breakdowns alone will give you whiplash by the end of the track.
Preston Harper’s drums are powerful throughout, setting the quickening tone and heaviness of the backbone to the track with interchanging tempo and insane precision.
WesternStars & The Apocalypse retains the same intensity with throws of Groove laden interludes. More and more spiking Thrash and insanely fast, this is purely a track to break your neck headbanging to.
Serving as the first single of the album, the music video showcased the new offering of Spiritworld into an animated nightmare of surrealism surrounded by intense themes of Death in Western visuals. It’s just over two minutes of pure facemelt and morbid intrigue before next track Bird Song of Death shimmers in with an upbeat mood.
Playing with more traditional elements of western acoustics and fun to dance tones, this track offers a refresh of contrast to the album and is a statement that Spiritworld isnt just about going for the kill.
A summery track, the drums are soft and playful and guitars are upbeat and plays more with Country elements rather than metal over Stu’s hardcore vocals before sifting softly into next track Prayer Lips.
This is a beautiful track and a completely fresh look at Spiritworld.
Rippling acoustic guitars gliding over eachother, Prayer Lips gives a soft and gentle blend of moods, with a sax interlude to carry you over rolling hills of sunshine and forests. A love song full of tenderness with slow moving beats and whispering vocals – totally not what i expected at all, but after a few listens of really absorbing this track, is such a wonderful new insight into what Spiritworld are about.
Waiting on the Reaper serves as a stark reminder, however, that this IS a metal album and powerful thrash grooves is something Spiritworld will not let you forget belongs here.
If you listen carefully, you can hear Nick Brundy’s low tuned bassnotes absolutely hammer away at the under tone to the base of the pace, commanding the speed and adrenaline to this absolute monster of a track.
The guitars work so well with Nick’s bass here. All strings commanding direction and pulling you three ways so your body positively tears with all the sounds hammering their ways through you.
The heaviest breakdowns of the album live here and twist the tempos to keep you strapped to the front of this freight train of terror.
Oblivion is a thundering storm of utter livid guitar riffs and relentless double pedals and cymbal work. Stu’s vocals are bloodthirsty and raw, injecting total danger into this track. My favorite of album, this track leaves space for everyone to be heard.
Nick’s bass is low and ebbing, giving off the feeling of anticipation and Randy and Matt combine jawdropping stunning riffs and rhythms that blend into eachother to create a dangerous and threatening rainfall of sounds and crashing tones.
This is going to be one of the defining tracks that marks the Thrash side of Helldorado. An utter monster of a track, crafted perfectly to create mass destruction.
Cleansing is a GORGEOUS instrumental that plays with the frequencies of melodics in the album to remind us we’re not all thrash here.
There’s elements of Meldo Death in this track that has roots of a modern twist. Epic sounds scale this track and swirls you into a vortex of pure strings and drums.
Stigmata Scars sounds almost anthemic, as far as hardcore and thrash can be anthemic, with lethal injections of evil riffs and barking chants of vocals.
Raw and not to be messed about with, this has some of the best guitaring in this track through powerful bridges and interchanging tempos that impose a shadow of intense soundscapes.
With a punch of a Frederic Leclercq solo that tops off the total destructiveness of this track, this is another favourite in terms of heaviness and musicianship on Helldorado.
Final track Annihilism ends of the listening experience of Helldorado in a country western style acoustic with a dark message that talks to us of loss.
This leaves me with a sense of there’s another story to tell – and all about forging their own way, Spiritworld’s release of Helldorado is a chapter album that has let Spiritworld stretch into their sound rather than evolve with their abilities.
Stream/order the album here.
There’s plenty time for evolution – i’m loving the unique take that Spiritworld explore and look forward to the live form on stage.
Find SPIRITWORLD online at
