Brooklyn, New York trio Spotlights (Sarah Quintero – bass/vocals, Mario Quintero – guitar/vocals/keyboards and programming, and Chris Enriquez on drums/percussion/vocals) have been releasing music since 2016 when they debuted with the Tidals album. Since then they have garnered fans such as Chino Moreno and have toured with the aforementioned’s band Deftones as well as Refused, Quicksand, and Mr. Bungle.
Alchemy for the Dead is the band’s fourth full-length release is thematically centred around death or, to paraphrase Mario, how different cultures view it. Furthermore the ‘Alchemy’ part “plays into occult themes such as seance and crossing the threshold between the living and the dead” and this is certainly reflected by the spooky and ambiguous nature of the album’s cover.
‘Beyond the Broken Sky’ opens in a mellow psychedelic fashion ala Led Zeppelin‘s ‘No Quarter’ before some truly monstrous post-metal sludge comes into the picture that bares a similarity to the likes of Big | Brave and latter period Swans, setting the tone for the rest of the album. ‘The Alchemist’ has a Dälek style experimental hip-hop vibe to it with its cool funky beats and dark atmospherics and to quote Mario reflects what he was going for with “Bigger and fatter upfront tones, and unique drum sounds”. You could even add in Trip-Hop legends Portishead were they have gone down a Doom Metal route. An outstanding piece.
“Sunset Burial’ again utilizes the funky beats but with more of a post-punk Joy Division feel, what with the liberal use of a hook-laden bass that gels brilliantly with the dreamier vocal style. There are parts that has one thinking of the expansive space-rock of bands such as Failure and Hum and/or perhaps the industrial rock of Filter. Whatever the case, it’s yet another certified winner.
‘Algorithmic’ has tinges of Queens of the Stone Age‘s pre-Villains desert stoner rock such is its lysergic nature and it simply rocks, possibly one of the more direct-sounding numbers on the record.
Ben Opie‘s tenor saxophone makes an appearance on ‘False Gods’ that only enhances rather than detracts from the Unsane and Helmet noise-rock-inspired chaos, while ‘Repeat the Silence’ by contrast is a far more restrained affair that recalls the Deftones during their White Pony cycle.
‘Ballad in the Mirror’ is the album’s shortest track and alternates between mellower passages and full-bloodied throat-slitting post-hardcore in the Quicksand vein making for a pleasant change in tempo. Meanwhile ‘Crawling Toward the Light’ is what I can only describe as anthemic sludgy shoegaze, or Sludgegaze as the band have been labelled, and finally ‘Alchemy for the Dead’ is like a lullaby were it sung by late lo-fi indie folk guitar hero Elliot Smith. Unlike Smith, however, there is an omnipresent sense of tension and dread that builds up and leaves you on tenterhooks until it cathartically unleashes roughly halfway through the opus. Its living proof of Spotlights’ understanding of dynamics and affords for a superb conclusion to the album.
Ipecac Recordings have a pretty decent track record when it comes to the selection of artists for their label. Alain Johannes, Fantomas, The Bobby Lees, Melvins, Bohren & Der Club of Gore, The Young Gods etc… only the best for its owners’ messers Mike Patton and Greg Werckman. Spotlights are a worthwhile addition to their diverse and fascinating roster and with Alchemy for the Dead have ensured an extension of their fanbase that now includes the recent addition of yours truly.
Buy the album here:
https://spotlights.bandcamp.com/music
9 / 10
REZA MILLS