OUR FINAL DAYS ON BELLICUS PRIME

Two species face extinction, one in the unfathomable depths of space, the other comfortable on its own world. A man and his daughter speed through space trying to outrun a missile, the deciding factor, which has more gas? A soldier is sent to a desolate prison planet to battle a beast with a very unique hunting style. It hunts through the multi-verse, killing not just on the planet, but on every possibility of the planet. Step inside....we've been waiting. -Spiral

In my exploration of the Spiral universe, it occurs to me that this is a body of work that is not adequately appreciated in its own time, but it is a remarkable American entry in independent music, an adventure that people are going to be falling into for many years to come. This is not music that will ever sound dated or be trivialized by ties to the vapidities of current culture. This is sound and storytelling that will be timeless, something even large and monetarily successful bands struggle to accomplish. Spiral will have the last laugh as their ATV disappears over the sandy dunes on the horizon of their Southwest home.

Assembled between 2011 and 2014, Bellicus was the first Spiral title to include Bill Hatfield who would become the fourth member of the group, bolstering the guitar firepower significantly. The album follows the wonderful Parasite's Guide to Rewriting History, and some of the sound similarities can be explained by the fact that the recording sessions overlapped for several releases from this prolific period of creativity for Spiral. Bellicus, at least to my ear, comes across as a bit more aggressive and crushing in several places, but both contain similar mood shifts and balance between light and heavy.

For the uninitiated, Spiral is a unique-sounding entry in the PA cannon, blending elements of psych-rock, heavy prog, doom-sludge, and stoner-conducive cactus rock. The tracks are meticulously crafted and often have elaborate conceptual stories and artwork, although they note that this album contains tracks not related to each other lyrically, though, musically, to me, they still feel like siblings. We again are treated to their style of repeating motifs and their one-two punch that is, one, the lumbering, crushing rhythm guitars in the heavy sections---here it sometimes feels like you've discovered some lost Sabbath instrumentals---with fantastic extended solos....to, two, the flip side of the coin built around Chris's keyboards, which on this album are some of the absolutely most beautiful passages Spiral has ever done. Their secret weapons Felicia Karas (violin) and Senda Shallow (voice) are utilized to gorgeous effect on this side of the Spiral coin. These softer sections are so mysterious and alluring, almost like siren song in the feelings they conjure. You find your mind drifting away with the auburn desert melodies only to be pulled back to explosive chaos soon enough.

I can't yet say what the Spiral masterpiece is because I still have many more albums to hear, but Our Final Days on Bellicus Prime has to be in the running. This is awesome, especially the two long tracks. The cover art, as always, is perfect for the material, Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes's painting, "Pompeii." Also, as a reminder for fans of Spiral, we did an in-depth interview with the band in 2012 in which they provided an enormous amount of cool history and info about their process. You'll want to search the site and read this if you are a fan of their music.

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