Reviews    Spiritus Mortis - Forward to the Battle (Independent Release)
by Chris Barnes

Forward to the Battle is the second installment in the Spiritus Mortis discography so far and another stellar example of what the Finnish heavy underground scene is capable of.

Instead of following the exact Doom-drenched path of it's predecessor, the Demo 2000 EP, Spiritus Mortis add a classic metal finesse to Forward to the Battle. The result is sounds a bit like a darker, more ominous Manilla Road or Cirith Ungol crossed with classic Trouble. The Spiritus Mortis approach is still a more riff-oriented foray into metal, the songs being much shorter and compact than the aforementioned bands.

Vocalist Vesa Lampi has never sounded better, his voice finding greater range than what we heard on Demo 2000. Lampi sounds much more confident in his abilities even venturing into a Gillan-like scream in the CD's most memorable track, "Beware of the Quiet One". Guitarists V-P Rapo and John Mayala also sound like they've found their footing, their Wartell/Franklin-like approach mingling with classic Smith/Murray harmony.

My only compliant is the brevity of this CD - by the time you are ready to here six more tunes of glorious metal, the CD is over. Hopefully an aspiring label will offer Spiritus Mortis a deal and get them in the studio for a proper full length.

Purchase Forward to the Battle or Demo 2000 at the Hellride Music Super Store

Read the Hellride Music interview with Spiritus Mortis

Listen to a Real Audio sample of Forever

Read the Hellride Music review of Demo 2000

Visit the Spiritus Mortis website at www.metalprovider.com/spiritusmortis

Copyright 2002 HellrideMusic.com
Review by Chris Barnes 6/20/02