SPIRIT ADRIFT – “Infinite Illumination” (Album Review)

The final enlightenment has come.

All good things must come to an end, and while the span of 10 years might seem a fairly short run when measured against the decades that some of heavy metal’s prime movers have been at the game, the prolific road paved in the studio by Austin, Texas’ own Spirit Adrift has been nothing if not formidable.

Led by the guitar and vocal chops of multi-instrumentalist and mastermind Nate Garrett, whom also lent his skills at the six-string to the iconic death metal staple Gatecreeper, this epic and traditionally grounded doom metal institution has scarcely gone a year since their 2015 formation without fielding a substantial studio opus that has won them praise from such noted outlets as Decibel, Revolver, Metal Hammer and Kerrang!

Now, having already marked their March 20^th date opening for Crowbar, Eyehategod, and Black Magnet as their last live appearance, the final sonic chapter of this grand tale set to odes of existential woe has been codified via their 6^th studio LP, Infinite Illumination.

To the already initiated, this well-rounded opus of dense, forbidding odes recapitulates the unique blend of 80s epic doom, traditional heavy metal, and occasional fits of thrashing sludge that has typified this outfit’s stylistic approach since their sophomore studio outing, namely 2017’s Curse Of Conception. The generally slow-trudging mixture of atmospheric density and melodic consonance inspired by the likes of Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus seamlessly mingle with a more Sabbath-centered sense of archaic melancholy featured in the seminal work of Trouble and The Obsessed, occasionally giving way to swifter and more aggressive fare that points to the likes of Corrosion Of Conformity and High On Fire.

In essence, Garrett’s artistic vision is nothing if not a multifaceted one, and the crop of high-caliber musicians surrounding him, including bassist Sonny DeCarlo (Goya), drummer Mike Arellano (M.O.D.), and recently recruited Alaska-born guitarist Jason Dahlke, perform masterfully in bringing that vision to life.

Never an outfit to shy away from going long, Spirit Adrift hit the ground with a thunderous dirge of a title entry in “Infinite Illumination”, clocking in at just less than 8 minutes and balancing a towering down tempo punch with hazy, atmospheric respites and chaotic bursts that effectively run the gamut of this fold’s stylistic toolset. At the helm, Garrett also exemplifies the tormented beauty that often comes with an epic doom approach, avoiding the overt operatic character of Messiah Marcolin or Dio-like bombast of Robert Lowe, but also having a soaring quality that makes for a more dramatic listen than what tends to go with modern traditional doom.

A similar musical story is told in a more dissonant, heavy and almost liturgical manner with the 7 minute mystical slough “You Will Never Hold The Key”, while the utterly dark and dreary crunch of “I Am Sustained” leans heavily into the heavy-ended and menacing metallic formula that made Epicus Doomicus Metallicus a pinnacle offering of the subgenre, not to mention showcasing the sort of wild virtuosic guitar soloing stunts that kept it firmly rooted in the 80s.

By the same token, this is a band that knows when to play things more concisely, and along for the ride with the extended jams are some merciless bangers that match accessible melodic hooks and shorter lengths with that same dank aesthetic. The more up-tempo yet highly menacing “Window Within” presents a tighter and punchier take on the doom question, playing off a fairly static riff set and allowing Garrett’s lofty voice to guide things through a generally straight musical path.

The chunky riff machine “Born In A Bad Way” goes even heavier while also taking a highly minimalist approach for its short duration, leaning towards that sludgy sound yet still feeling epic in demeanor. The tempo is kicked up to a mighty metallic roar on “White Death”, which could almost pass for a lost track off of Black Sabbath’s Dehumanizer save for Garrett’s more conventionally gritty vocal approach and a wetter guitar tone. But for a truly harrowing walk through the chambers of auditory woe, the closing epic “Where Once There Was An Ocean” balances the catchier elements of this album’s shorter entries with the grandiose atmospheric quality of the more drawn-out ones.

Amid the titans of modern doom metal that include the likes of Crypt Sermon, Pallbearer, Khemmis, and Wolftooth; Spirit Adrift was always a name that stood no less as tall and provided a bridge between the disparate expressions of the subgenre and the epic offshoots of the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal that leaned into a similar aesthetic. Infinite Illumination marks one of the better offerings in a highly consistent discography, channeling a similar kind of magic to the one that made seminal albums like Ancient Dreams, King Of The Dead, Beyond The Crimson Horizon, and Run To The Light the standard by which the new generation is measured.

It’s a bittersweet conclusion to a mighty tale that seemed to have only begun a short while ago, but given the magnitude of what has been committed to recording by this Texas quartet, this is an end that is sure to give rise to many new beginnings, be they by some of these musicians under a different moniker or a new crop inspired by this colossal coup de grace.

Release Date: April 10th, 2026
Record Label: Independent
Genre: Sludge / Doom / Heavy Metal

Musicians:

• Nate Garrett / Vocals, guitars
• Jason Dahlke / Guitars
• Sonny DeCarlo / Bass
• Mike Arellano / Drums

Infinite Illumination Tracklist:

1. Infinite Illumination
2. Window Within
3. You Will Never Hold The Key
4. Born In A Bad Way
5. Buried In The Shadow Of The Cross
6. White Death
7. I Am Sustained
8. Where Once There Was As Ocean

Order the album here.