Restless Spirit Post “Marrow” Video; Afterimage Out Oct. 6
Long Island doom rockers Restless Spirit signed to Magnetic Eye Records earlier this year, and their first new release for the label — which also reissued their 2021 album, Blood of the Old Gods (review here) — will be their third full-length, Afterimage. Set for release on Oct. 6, Afterimage opens with its lead single in “Marrow,” and no, it’s not a YOB cover. Instead, the five-plus-minute original — video’s at the bottom of the post; have at it — reminds that part of the appeal of Restless Spirit is how solidified their approach seems while residing in between different styles.
They’re part doom, part metal, part rock, atmospherically rich, melodically engaging, and at the same time hard to pin down as any single microniche. They are, in other words, complex. But not just that either, because as “Marrow” demonstrates, they are confident, strong in their stylistic position, and they write songs like they know what they want them to be. Restless Spirit have been confirmed for Ripplefest Texas in September, and will tour the West Coast thereafter to herald the album’s coming. Dates for that run and other shows can be found below, along with the album info, preorder link and so on.
From the PR wire:
RESTLESS SPIRIT unleash first video single and details of new album
Preorder link: http://lnk.spkr.media/afterimage
Long Island sludge metal trio RESTLESS SPIRIT have released the video single ‘Marrow’ as the first outtake from their forthcoming third album “Afterimage”. The new full-length is scheduled for release on October 6, 2023.
RESTLESS SPIRIT comment: “The opening track ‘Marrow’ truly comes from the heart and sets the theme for the entire album”, guitarist and singer Paul Aloisio writes. “This song is about watching someone that you love at the end of their life. It’s about the bargaining, the pleading, the denial… all those stages of grief. Although the song deals with desperation, it is also an acknowledgement of a bitter truth. We think everyone can relate to this song, because while maybe you haven’t had to experience these feelings yet, reality is, eventually you will. I’ve never had the courage to be so open through my music before, and I won’t lie and say that it wasn’t terrifying to do so. Yet our hope is that it can resonate with anyone struggling through an experience like this.”
In the case of RESTLESS SPIRIT, the band name says it all, and in more than just one way. Their third album, “Afterimage”, embodies the East Coast trio’s aim of never wanting to sound exactly like before. Long Island deep-fried guitars meet pounding rhythms and emotionally raw vocals. Where the predecessor “Blood of the Old Gods” (2021) sometimes ushered the listener into twisted complexity, “Afterimage” delivers short, sharp shocks that hit straight home.
Lyrically, “Afterimage” is also born out of a restless spirit. Driven by tragedy and personal loss, singer and guitarist Paul Aloisio has put his heart and soul into the album. Confronted with a choice to deal with his pain in a healthy way or go down a destructive path, the singer and guitarist opted for the former but months later found his words to be prophetic for doing the latter. Deciding that artistry requires honesty, Alosio wanted to share his experience as a message to others in similar situations that they’re not alone in their despair. “Afterimage” might well be read as a cautionary tale.
Embarking on their musical journey very early in life, the band’s core of Aloisio and bassist Marc Morello met the summer before Kindergarten and grew up discovering music side by side. Channeling influences like BLACK SABBATH, TYPE O NEGATIVE, and THE SWORD and incorporating aggressive modern metal, unabashed stoner-doom pummeling, energetic changes, and stirring, earnest vocals, their band was finally christened RESTLESS SPIRIT in 2019. Their debut full-length “Lord of the New Depression” (2019) fit equally well into the stoner, doom, and sludge molds, while on “Blood of the Old Gods”, the three-piece developed a more varied, melodic approach with added complexity.
Discontent at being sometimes labelled ‘progressive’, RESTLESS SPIRIT, true contrarians that they are, avoided overly-long songs and excessive ornamentation on “Afterimage”, intentionally eliminating anything that might distract from the new album’s direct, crushing immediacy.
On the live front, the Long Island band has undertaken several tours in support of “Blood of the Old Gods” and shared stages with the likes of CROWBAR, THE OBSESSED and CANNIBAL CORPSE. They will return to the road in winter 2023/24 to present “Afterimage”.
With “Afterimage”, RESTLESS SPIRIT deliver a massive punch to the gut that actually feels damn great once the initial pain subsides.
Tracklist
1. Marrow
2. Shadow Command
3. Of Spirit and Form
4. All Furies
1. Brutalized
2. The Fatalist
3. Hell’s Grasp
4. From the Dust Returned
Guest musicians
Scott “Wino” Weinrich – guitars on ‘The Fatalist’
Mike Hill – vocals on ‘Shadow Command’
Recording by John Forrestal at The Animal Farm, Flemington, NJ USA
Mix & mastering by Jonathan Nuñez at Sound Artillery Studios, Miami, FL, USA
Cover Art by Luca “Solomacello” Martinelli
Layout by Marc Christoforidis
Live
25 AUG 2023 Masapequa, NY (US) VFW Hall
30 AUG 2023 Brooklyn, NY (US) St Vitus
01 SEP 2023 Montague, MA (US) RPM Fest
19 SEP 2023 Memphis, TN (US) Hi-Tone Cafe
21 SEP 2023 Austin TX (US) RippleFest Texas
25 SEP 2023 Mesa, AZ (US) Nile Underground
26 SEP 2023 Los Angeles, CA (US) Knuckleheads
27 SEP 2023 Sacramento, CA (US) Cafe Colonial
28 SEP 2023 Springfield, OR (US) The Spot
29 SEP 2023 Portland, OR (US) Highwatermark
30 SEP 2023 Seattle, WA (US) Funhouse
01 OCT 2023 Bellingham, WA (US) The Shakedown
29 OCT 2023 Amityville, NY (US) Amityville Music Hall
Line-up
Paul Aloisio – guitar, vocals
Jon Gusman – drums
Marc Morello – bass
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Is it just me, or do you hear a bit of CKY in the song? Probably just me.