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SPIRALARMS
Freedom

Steamhammer (2013)
Rating: 5/10

SpiralArms are a band I was interested in as soon as I heard that their guitarist, Craig Locicero, used to feature for San Francisco thrashers Forbidden.

However, SpiralArms’ second record is far removed from Bay Area thrash, but it’s still an opus that should please all fans of old fashioned rock ’n’ roll as well as anyone who digs stoner metal, blues-infused metal and doom ’n’ roll, and despite the air of familiarity on Freedom there is enough punch and kick to affect even the most hardened of sceptics.

I was first introduced to this band via the video ‘Dropping Like Flies’ and whilst impressed by its hooky grooves I just couldn’t rid my ears of the strong Corrosion Of Conformity influence – and having worshipped Corrosion Of Conformity’s momentous offerings such as Blind (1991) and, even more so, Deliverance (1994), I felt that SpiralArms were never going to kneel before such a throne, let alone take it.

The whole feel of this opus sums up the modern metal scene as so many bands are trawling through their record collections for inspiration, and yet time and time again are coming up with a sound that we’ve heard so many times before. Black Sabbath, Soundgarden, southern rock, it’s all here – and when blended together it makes for quite a summery and pleasant listen, but rarely anything more. Again I revert back to the loose groove of ‘Dropping Like Flies’ with its fuzzy psychedelia infused laziness, the sort you’ll swear you’ve heard previously.

That’s not to say this six-piece outfit are merely a derivative combo, because with their experience they’ve managed to insert a few nice, unexpected ingredients into their dirty river of sound, but whether it’s enough to enable them to stand out from the crowd only time will tell.

The likes of Detroit’s Dirty Americans have used this tried and tested formula to no real avail, and the driving jarring beat of ‘Hold Me To The Sky’ just feels so tired and leaves me thirsty for something not so southern influenced. The 70s weren’t the greatest time unless you were a devotee to flared rock ’n’ roll with progressive overtones, and so Freedom comes across as a band that wants to be different but one which cannot escape its influences.

Tim Narducci’s vocals, however harmonious, are nothing out of the ordinary as SpiralArms lumber through ten sun-baked groove monsters ranging from the swirling twang of ‘Exit 63’ to the unnecessary cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Tomorrow’s Dream’. One may not be able to argue with Ron Redeen’s concrete drums and the twin guitar lope of Locicero and Anthony Traslavina, but I soon find myself bored of this stoner slab. ‘Drugs & Alcohol’ and ‘Dealer’ again reek of Corrosion Of Conformity, circa the rather mundane drools of America’s Volume Dealer (2000), but if I continue to hear any more drug-fueled, stoned-psych hippy rock I think I’m going to scream.

Such a sound may all be done for the sake of good ol’ fashioned rock ’n’ roll but it’s really starting to grate, and the only respite here comes from the soulful tones of the mellow ‘Lovers Leap’ and the organ-drenched title track. It just seems as if these types of bands – clearly high on their influences – box themselves into a corner when it comes to aping their heroes. I don’t expect any earth-shattering bouts of originality from anyone anymore, but when the music is so derivative I can only shake my head in disappointment at another album that seems intent on disturbing the dust by way of weed-induced southern dullness. Freedom is incredibly average.

Neil Arnold

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