Till the Dirt – Outside the Spiral
Till the Dirt – Outside the Spiral
Nuclear Blast Records
Release Date: 25/08/23
Running Time: 47:10
Review by Paul Hutchings
8/10
You’ll know Kelly Shaefer as the legendary force behind Atheist, one of the most incredible technical death metal bands to stand on this planet. However, if you were waiting for this album in the hope that it will be a calm and relaxing release, then you need to get the bus and keep on driving it.
Till the Dirt is the “other” band that Kelly formed and features the return of producer Scott Burns, the first band that Burns has worked with since Obituary’s “Frozen in Time”, back in 2005. To have such a legendary producer back in the chair is amazing, and Burns has delivered. “When Kelly sent me some demos, I was at first reluctant to listen to them,” Scott Burns commented. “I thought I had kind of heard it all by now and I did not want to disappoint an old friend. When I finally gave the tracks a chance, it felt like being hit by an electric shock: these tracks were fresh, exciting, and fun – just like in the old days. Those demos blew me away. I was immediately hooked to the point where I really wanted to be involved. I really thought that I had stopped producing death metal for good, but here we are now!”
The fact that Burns is at the helm suggests that “Outside the Spiral” might be a bit good. And you’d be correct. Extreme metal is always challenging but the technical prowess on offer here is superb. Not only do we get ferocious slabs of technical death metal, (Shaefer has penned 11 songs that stand on their own) but they also run cohesively as part of the overall package.
At times, it’s evident that Schaefer has assembled some of the most amazing musicians to provide a cauldron of seething extremes, with a few surprises thrown in. While there is a definite death metal current, Schaeffer has also dug a little deeper into his influences, and there are plenty of other strains that ripple through the music, drawing on grunge, black metal, jazz, rock, and darkwave, all wrapped up in a kaleidoscopic maelstrom.
The songs are fast, not overly long, and push along with a dynamic pace that is fascinating. The sweeping chaos of ‘Who Awaits’, with its angular time changes and direction is powerful, explosive, and aggressive. From the opening ‘Starring Role’ through to the pounding single ‘Privilege’, and the triumphant finale of ‘Bring on the Gods’, this is an album that grows on each play. Technically fluid and cohesive, Schaefer has crafted another album of high quality. His vocals are as legendary as ever, with his rolling style one minute seeing him in the tumult of opener ‘Starring Role’, then screaming in apparent agony as he roars through ‘The Good The Bad The Other’.
There is plenty for the tech fans to get involved in. The guitar playing is as clinically visceral as one would expect, while the drumming maintains a driving force from the opening notes. Dive into ‘Watch You Grow Old’ with its muscular and flesh-ripping aural attack. Get drawn into the stunning title track, and generally lose yourself in an album of such proficiency that all you can do is survive until the end, and then press play again. It’s a stellar piece of work from one of the most extreme and legendary US death metal members. It’s good to have new work from a true hero.
TRACKLISTING:
01. Starring Role
02. Outside The Spiral
03. Privilege
04. As It Seems
05. Invitation
06. Forest Of Because
07. Who Awaits
08. Insist And Demand
09. The Good the Bad the Other
10. Watch You Grow Old
11. Bring on The Gods
LINE-UP:
Kelly Shaefer – Vocals
Jerry Witunsky – Guitars
Ian Waye -Guitars
Yoav Ruiz Feingold – Bass
Dylan Marks – Drums
LINKS:
Disclaimer: This review is solely the property of Paul Hutchings and Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this review, unless you have the strict permission of both parties. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
