Doom Metal Monster That Grows with Every Spin - A Review of Spiral Grave's Legacy of the Anointed

Spiral Grave is an American doom and heavy metal band built upon the remnants of criminally underrated genre veterans Iron Man after their guitarist and founding member Al Morris III died much too soon. Legacy of the Anointed is the band's first studio album and should please anyone who appreciates doom metal in the key of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Saint Vitus to only name a few examples. The record sounds heavy, organic and thunderous which gives it a timeless feeling that should please fans of any age.

''Nightmare on May Eve'' is a very good opener with powerful, relentless and thunderous rhythm section, aggressive, distorted and sinister guitar play and vocals that find the perfect balance between melody and roughness. This song certainly doesn't reinvent the genre but entertains thoroughly through six and a half atmospheric, powerful and tight minutes. This track would indeed have deserved a spot on a regular Iron Man output if the group were still around.

''Modern Day Golden Calf'' aims for more sinister territory with its slightly dragging mid-tempo pace, distorted down-tuned guitar play and gloomy vocals. The song also breaks the six-minute mark and would deserve its righteous spot on the soundtrack of any horror movie honouring the American genre classics of the late seventies and early eighties.

Up next comes ''Out of My Head'' that is firmly rooted in mid-tempo pacing with a few upper tempo rhythm changes giving the song the atmosphere of a raw jam session in some garage. The vocals are a little bit grittier as well and include even a few very brief growls. It's refreshing to hear such a more experimental tune that breaks a little bit with genre traditions.

The next track ''Nothing'' also has an interesting experimental vibe with its smooth middle section with dominant bass guitar sounds, quick guitar picking sounds and airy, distant and dreamy vocals. This almost otherworldly transition is well integrated into a swaggering doom metal tune meandering between mid-paced and slow passages.

Another surprising tune is ''Tanglefoot''. It's easily the fastest and most rhythmic tune on the album and reminds of early heavy metal influenced by the spirit of the punk wave. Even the raw vocals and some explicit lyrics evoke memories of Paul Di'Anno's years in Iron Maiden in the late seventies and early eighties. Even though the surprising middle section briefly flirts with almost psychedelic power ballad territory, this song here certainly takes no prisoners and should work splendidly at an energetic concert.

Closing epic ''Abgrund'' with its German title breaks the eight-minute mark and offers sinster doom metal at its very best with cinematic sound samples in the introduction, a fast middle section with pitiless high-pitched screams, rapid guitar riffs and dynamic rhythm section as well as a slow, menacing and slightly chaotic coda that should send shivers down your spine.

As you can read, Spiral Grave is the spiritual successor to Iron Man and offers an excellent debut record with Legacy of the Anointed. The eight songs clocking in at forty-five minutes grow with every spin as they offer traditional doom metal at its very best with a few creative surprises in the songwriting department. It's a mystery to me why this great record wasn't properly promoted by metal magazines and praised by genre fans. However, you can still change this record's fate and save it from obscurity. Spiral Grave's Legacy of the Anointed and Al Morris III's legacy with Iron Man certainly deserve more acclaim, attention and respect. Purchase this greatest doom metal record of the last year and attend one of the band's concerts once the pandemic has slowed down.

Final Rating: 90%