Long Island sludge metal trio RESTLESS SPIRIT have released the third and final advance single 'The Fatalist', which features legendary SAINT VITUS and THE OBSESSED frontman Scott "Wino" Weinrich on guest guitar. The track is taken from RESTLESS SPIRIT's forthcoming third album "Afterimage", which is scheduled for release on October 6, 2023.
The heavy and doom-driven track 'The Fatalist' is now available at this link.
RESTLESS SPIRIT talk about 'The Fatalist': "Growing up, I found this incredible band called The Obsessed and they changed my life", guitarist and singer Paul Aloisio reveals. "I tried for years to copy, steal and emulate Wino's legendary wailing guitar solos. Sadly to no avail... there's only one Wino, after all. Later on, after befriending the legend himself, we approached him to play on a song for this album. The idea to trade dueling guitar solos with Wino is a dream come true, and 17-year-old me would be freaking out if he knew about this happening. As a 32-year-old, I'm still freaking out. It's a heavy, introspective song that delves further into the dealings of grief and loss. At the same time, it’s a headbanger for sure. We wanted to find a good balance between rocking and real life experience, and I think we did. Not just on this song specifically, but on the entire album."
Tracklist
1. Marrow
2. Shadow Command
3. Of Spirit and Form
4. All Furies
5. Brutalized
6. The Fatalist
7. Hell's Grasp
8. From the Dust Returned
In the case of RESTLESS SPIRIT, the band name says it all, and in more than just one way. Their third album, "Afterimage", embodies the East Coast trio's aim of never wanting to sound exactly like before. Long Island deep-fried guitars meet pounding rhythms and emotionally raw vocals. Where the predecessor "Blood of the Old Gods" (2021) sometimes ushered the listener into twisted complexity, "Afterimage" delivers short, sharp shocks that hit straight home.
Lyrically, "Afterimage" is also born out of a restless spirit. Driven by tragedy and personal loss, singer and guitarist Paul Aloisio has put his heart and soul into the album. Confronted with a choice to deal with his pain in a healthy way or go down a destructive path, the singer and guitarist opted for the former but months later found his words to be prophetic for doing the latter. Deciding that artistry requires honesty, Alosio wanted to share his experience as a message to others in similar situations that they're not alone in their despair. "Afterimage" might well be read as a cautionary tale.
Embarking on their musical journey very early in life, the band's core of Aloisio and bassist Marc Morello met the summer before Kindergarten and grew up discovering music side by side. Channelling influences like BLACK SABBATH, TYPE O NEGATIVE, and THE SWORD and incorporating aggressive modern metal, unabashed stoner-doom pummelling, energetic changes, and stirring, earnest vocals, their band was finally christened RESTLESS SPIRIT in 2019. Their debut full-length "Lord of the New Depression" (2019) fit equally well into the stoner, doom, and sludge molds, while on "Blood of the Old Gods", the three-piece developed a more varied, melodic approach with added complexity.
Discontent at being sometimes labelled 'progressive', RESTLESS SPIRIT, true contrarians that they are, avoided overly-long songs and excessive ornamentation on "Afterimage", intentionally eliminating anything that might distract from the new album's direct, crushing immediacy.
On the live front, the Long Island band has undertaken several tours in support of "Blood of the Old Gods" and shared stages with the likes of CROWBAR, THE OBSESSED and CANNIBAL CORPSE. They will return to the road in winter 2023/24 to present "Afterimage".
With "Afterimage", RESTLESS SPIRIT deliver a massive punch to the gut that actually feels damn great once the initial pain subsides.