Posted in Whathaveyou on June 5th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
Crystal Spiders are set to embark on a run of nine shows in nine days next month as they continue to support their new album through Ripple Music, Metanoia (review here). The three-piece played two shows in their home state of North Carolina last weekend, in Raleigh and Asheville, and they’ll be back in the latter for another gig at Fleetwoods at the end of the July tour, but before the run starts, they’ve got an appearance at the reportedly-last Maryland Doom Fest, where I have no doubt they’ll be greeted as liberators.
From there it’s up the Eastern Seaboard into the thick of Northeastern summer haze, then after Philly they hang a left and hit Youngstown, Ohio, Chicago, Detroit and Lexington, Kentucky, to cover some ground in the Midwest as they loop back home through Nashville. It’s a solid run promoting a killer record, and if you live somewhere not covered by this tour, keep an eye out, as it’s always possible the band are dividing up the country across successive runs. Perhaps Fall or Winter on the West Coast? I’m speculating, so don’t quote me on anything.
The tour is put together by Heavy Talent and the dates were posted on social media thusly:
The last 2 shows were amazing! Thank you to all who came out! Next up is the LAST EVER Maryland Doom Fest and then a run of dates across the East Coast! Where will we see you?
CRYSTAL SPIDERS live: 06.22 Maryland Doom Fest Frederick MD 07.18 Gold Sounds Brooklyn NY 07.19 Boston MA O’Brien’s 07.20 Philadelphia PA Century Bar 07.21 Youngstown OH Westside Bowl 07.22 Detroit MI Outer Limits Lounge 07.23 Chicago IL Reggies 07.24 Lexington KY Al’s Bar 07.25 Nashville TN East Room 07.26 Asheville NC Fleetwoods
Listening to the song “Torche” at the outset of Crystal Spiders‘ third full-length, Metanoia, it’s hard not to grow even more wistful at the thought of Maryland Doom Fest (which the band are playing) ending its 11-year run this month. The North Carolinian unit led by bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath, now incarnated as a three-piece with guitarist Reid Rogers and drummer Aaron Willis both making their first appearance, conjure a groove that feels so much descended from the Eastern Seaboard’s longest-lived doom lineage, and Leath belts out the lyrics — in the opener and beyond — with a reach like nontoxic-Pentagram with soul on top. The band, the music, life itself, are still Sabbath at the root, but able to boogie or doom at will with a fluid, unpretentious groove and a cast that seems to come from traditionalist metal. There’s also some punk in there. And it rocks. It’s kind of a melting pot, and while it’s sure to bring the house down in Frederick in a couple weeks, that shortchanges the band’s potential to spearhead and carry the banner for another generation’s worth of family reunions billed as doom festivals. A missed opportunity.
Mike Dean, formerly of C.O.C. and a bandmate of Leath‘s in Lightning Born, makes an unsurprising but welcome return as producer after helming the first two Crystal Spiders LPs, 2021’s Morieris (review here) and 2020’s Molt (review here). As far as I know, his collaboration with the band on the seven-track/43-minute Metanoia doesn’t extend to playing guitar as it did on Morieris, but this time Crystal Spiders brought their own guitarist, so fair enough. In any case, his stamp can be heard in the organic moss grown on the distortion of “Torche” as it janga-janga-chugs the backdrop to Leath‘s verse, which she delivers in layers I’m assuming because nobody else in the band or otherwise could stand up to doing a duet with her. I’m being glib, but the basic fact is that Leath‘s powerhouse voice is a major distinguishing feature of Crystal Spiders‘ work, and whether pushing through “Torche” or crooning and gnashing in the slower, more atmospheric “Blue Death,” which follows, down to rolling out the Dehumanizer-style epic “OS” at the finish, there is no flinch in terms of command. That Metanoia — the title from Greek for changing your mind, often used in terms of post-psychotic-break personality rebuilding — is more than just a showcase for Leath‘s voice is a credit to the band as a whole, but if it was, I’m pretty sure she could carry it anyhow.
“Ignite” comes in swinging after “Blue Death,” with a riff riding down a highway of Judas Priest classic metal and attitude in the vocals to suit. At 3:46, it’s the shortest cut on the album by about two minutes, and it has the smooth, knows-where-it’s-headed flow of a song that came together naturally in a rehearsal space, whether or not it actually did — digs in, grooves, does what it wants, gets out. Rogers tears into a solo with special aplomb and the ba-dump ending tells you the band are thinking of the stage, which is where a song like “Ignite” will inevitably shine. The subsequent “Time Travel” is the centerpiece and again plays through at a slower tempo, fluid in the central riff with Willis working some strut into the drums as it moves into the verse with Vol. 4-style confidence. A drawling delivery of the title-line backs the chorus, making it that much catchier as it shifts into the ending of side A and a three-song side B that somewhat changes up the direction the songs are taking. Or at least the direction of the direction. That is to say, while nestled comfortably in the space between doom and heavy rock in terms of their tones and general, overarching approach, side B’s “Maslow,” “21” and the aforementioned closer “OS,” are working toward different ends than the material earlier on Metanoia. This, too, finds the band in communion with classic heavy.
Both “Maslow,” which is an atmospheric highlight a little under eight minutes long that holds its own in bookending with “OS,” and the capper itself are grander. They’re more theatrical in their ambitions, and they’re giving a more narrative impression. By contrast, “21” — think gambling — has energy enough behind its shove as the chorus entreats one to “Place your bets” and “Hit hard or go home,” and delivers on the whole hitting-hard promise throughout. The bounce in the second-half solo feels like a tie to garage doom, but it’s really all coming from that place schooled in early 1970s heavy rock with elements culled from the generations of practitioners since. It’s the way it’s used to offset “Maslow” and “OS” that makes it such a signifier of the burgeoning maturity in Crystal Spiders‘ craft. They’ve played songs off each other before, but the complement that “21” makes leading out of “Maslow” and into “OS,” the rumble and a cymbal wash giving over to the final, more ’90s-style roll taking its time in setting up the airy initial verse, isn’t to be understated. And sure enough, “Torche” fits better as the leadoff with Willis‘ count-in conveying urgency and immediately bringing the listener into the momentum of the song.
These are the kinds of things a band should be doing by the time they’re on their third record, but Metanoia is up to more than ticking boxes, and the emergent truth is that the amalgam of tropes and influences they engage along the way results in a personality that is more their own than it has ever been in terms of the songs. “OS” offers some more of that Chesapeake Watershed-style doomly roll along with grungier drawl, but keeps hold of its underlying foreboding such that the shouts after the dual-tiered solo section arrive with due precedent as a metallic, marching crescendo before residual guitar brings it to a finish. Crystal Spiders are not a band that need to take a roundabout way to hooking an audience. Their work, here and with the prior incarnation of the band, is able to engage by coming straight at the listener. They’re not sneaking around. They’re not pulling tricks. Metanoia is full-on heavy rock and roll ready to flatten that which is set before it. It’s gonna kill in Maryland, and well beyond.
Posted in Whathaveyou on March 20th, 2025 by JJ Koczan
The first single from Crystal Spiders‘ upcoming third album Metanoia — they’re also three-for-three on one-word album titles that start with ‘m,’ so there — brings an intriguing sound and twist on the heavy vibes the trio has wrought before, flexible as that is between doom and classic heavy rock. As it happens, “Torche” speaks to both.
I’m pretty sure it’s not about the band Torche — you never know, I guess, but there’s no mention of it below if that’s the case and I’ve been through the songs a couple times and at no point does bassist/vocalist Brenna Leath seem to shout out Steve Brooks, rad as it might be if she did — but especially with the stark accompaniment of the video below, the song piques interest as to where Metanoia might go and how it might get there.
Info and side-of-your-boogie-van-worthy cover art came from the PR wire:
US heavy rock trio CRYSTAL SPIDERS unleash first track and video off upcoming new album “Metanoia”; out May 23rd on Ripple Music!
North Carolina’s fiercest hard’n’heavy rockers CRYSTAL SPIDERS return with their third full-length “Metanoia” on Ripple Music this May 23rd, and present the roaring “Torche” single and video.
Riding the tides of doom-laden riffs and intoxicating grooves, Crystal Spiders returns with their highly anticipated third album, “Metanoia” on Ripple Music. Known for their alchemical blend of heavy metal and psychedelic soundscapes, the North Carolina power trio delves deeper into the abyss, exploring themes of transcendentalism and expansion in a collection of gritty and beautiful tracks. On “Metanoia”, Crystal Spiders masterfully intertwines searing NWOBHM guitar solos, thunderous fuzzed-out basslines, and howling vocal harmonies.
The album’s title, derived from the ancient Greek word for a transformative change of heart, encapsulates a journey of transcending boundaries and venturing into uncharted territories while blending personal introspection and broader societal commentary into a dark, poetic and highly evocative imagery and lyricism. “Overall, “Metanoia” is a profound exploration of the human condition, using powerful imagery and introspective lyrics to invite listeners on a transformative journey. The song “Torche” sets the tone with its visceral depiction of a primal struggle, using fire and light as symbols of both conflict and illumination,” says bassist and vocalist Brenna Leath.
“Metanoia” will be issued on May 23rd in various LP formats, CD digipack and digital, with preorders available now from Ripple Music. It was produced at Volume 11 Studios by Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity) in Raleigh, NC, and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege Mastering Studios. Artwork by Tyler Pennington and graphics by Mark Aceves.
Posted in Whathaveyou on February 10th, 2017 by JJ Koczan
Oh yes. Most definitely. I remain a sucker or Prophecy Productions and their proliferation of dark, otherworldly folk, this time arriving via Hungarian two-piece The Moon and the Nightspirit‘s fifth album, Metanoia, which will be released March 17. I’ll be honest with you, I got the promo download of the record two days ago and I saved it to listen to because I knew we’d be getting a snowstorm yesterday here on the East Coast and after sampling “Az Elsö Tündér Megidézése” — which you can hear below — I wanted the blizzard conditions to be my first experience with it.
Absolutely zero regrets on that one, though I doubt that track or any of the others surrounding it on Metanoia would be any less at home on a summer’s night, marked as they are by ritualized percussive thud and an ethereal presence. Did I mention “most definitely?” Good.
The PR wire takes it from here:
The Moon and the Nightspirit to Release New Album, ‘Metanoia’, March 17
Hungarian Pagan-Folk Champions Ready Release of Fairytalesque Fifth Album
THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT is a Hungarian duo that creates enchanting and melancholic folk music enhanced by a bewitching pagan aura where threads of ancient mysticism combine with phantasmagoric atmospheres. The group will release its new LP, Metanoia, on March 17 via Prophecy Productions (Alcest, Darkher).
In advance of the record’s release, THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT has released the new song, “Az Elsö Tündér Megidézése”.
Formed in 2003 by multi-instrumentalists Ágnes Tóth and Mihály Szabó, THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT has released a string of magnetic albums, celebrated as imagination-opening tapestries of sound. The group’s new LP, Metanoia, builds on its alluring, whimsical explorations, delivering enveloping songs that are as gentle as they are powerful. Creating otherworldly music built on the backs of multitudes of traditional cultural instruments — such as the jaw harp — and the beautiful, ethereal vocals of Tóth –THE MOON AND THE NIGHTSPIRIT delivers its most impressive music to date and cements its place as frontrunners of the international folk music landscape. As with previous TMATNS albums, the lush, delicate artwork created by Tóth provides the perfect visual accompaniment to the duo’s sprite fairyworld.
Meaning “a return to the pristine and pure path of crystalline existence”, Metanoia is an initiation, a rebirth, an awakening of the higher self, and the rekindling of an inner flame.
Track listing: 1.) A Hajnal Köszöntése 2.) Az Elsö Tündér Megidézése 3.) Mystérion Mega 4.) Kilenc Hid 5.) A Fény Diadala 6.) Metanoia 7.) Kristálymezök 8.) Hen Panta Einai (Minden Egy)
