SPIRIT ADRIFT, whose last full album I rated it with 4 very good points almost two years ago, get back to you. However, not with a full-time spinner, but with an EP. In addition to two original compositions, it contains six cover versions which, according to mastermind Nate Garrett, “…SPIRIT ADRIFT’s DNA includes…” even if you don’t necessarily suspect that with some pieces.
“20 Centuries Gone” starts with the band’s two tracks. “Sorcerer’s Fate” is a mixture of NWOBHM (IRON MAIDEN), classic (DIO) and epic heavy metal (ETERNAL CAHMPION). A good start, but “Mass Formation Psychosis” surpasses the opener by quite a bit and thus directly marks the disc’s high point.
It continues with a cover version of TYPE O NEGATIVE’s “Everything Dies” that is relatively close to the original. Sounds nice, but it doesn’t match the original in any way. “Hollow” comes off much better with many listeners and also the music press. Since I personally have never been able to do anything with PANTERA, the interpretation of SPIRIT ADRIFT doesn’t even affect me peripherally.
And the rest of the stuff, originally from METALLICA, THIN LIZZY, ZZ TOP and LYNYRD SKYNYRD, is ok, but never tears off your stool. The SPIRIT ADRIFT versions are too conservative, too independent.
Conclusion:
Nice EP with a good and a very good own song, for which a single would have done. The six cover versions may be an affair of the heart for Nate Garrett, but for the audience they are ok but also dispensable. For this reason we prefer to wait for a new full-fledged long-distance release from the Americans.