The stoner doom blueprint has survived intact and mostly unchanged for decades, which is no small miracle in the musical world. You can pretty much count on hearing the usual sources of inspiration pop up from Ozzy-inflected vocals to Kyuss-dusted drop-tuned slack rifferama to Monster Magnet space weirdness. Long Island trio Restless Spirit tick all the boxes, but still offer a not wholly derivative take on a pretty staid genre on their third full-length, Afterimage. These dudes—Paul Aloisio (guitar/vocals), Jon Gusman (drums), Marc Morello (bass)—excel largely because of their songwriting acumen and ability to mix things up dynamics-wise. The eight tracks feel like eight songs, not eight takes on the same sound/theme/approach, a feat no doubt aided by the inclusion of guests Scott “Wino” Weinrich (guitars on “The Fatalist”) and Tombs mainman Mike Hill (vocals on “Shadow Command”).
Afterimage was recorded by John Forrestal at the Animal Farm in Flemington, NJ, and mixed and mastered by Jonathan Nuñez at Sound Artillery Studios in Miami, FL. It’s set for release on October 6 on vinyl, CD and digitally via Magnetic Eye Records. You can place your preorder here.
This is what Paul Aloisio had to say about the new album:
“Afterimage is a story of loss, grief and the dark path that may follow in its wake. It’s a deeply personal album for the band, and we hope our listeners can connect with the emotional aspect underneath the weighty sound. We truly believe this is our best work to date and we can’t thank enough the amazing guests of Mike Hill (Tombs) and Wino (The Obsessed, Saint Vitus) for their incredible contributions.”
And check out the Restless Spirit tour dates below the album playlist.
Restless Spirit live dates:
Oct 5 – Fort Collins, CO @ Lyric Cinema
Oct 6 – Lincoln, NE @ Cosmic Eye
Oct 7 – Chicago, IL @ Live Wire Lounge (w/ High Priest)
Oct 28 – Detroit, MI @ Sanctuary (w/ Acid Witch)
Oct 29 – Amityville, NY @ Amityville Music Hall
Nov 10 – Cudahy, WI @ X Ray Arcade (w/ Howling Giant)
Nov 12 – St Louis, MO @ Platypus Bar (w/ Howling Giant)
Nov 14 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada (w/ Howling Giant)
Nov 15 – Austin, TX @ The Lost Well (w/ Howling Giant)
Nov 17 – New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa (w/ Howling Giant)
Nov 19 – Myrtle Beach, SC @ NXT LVL FIT
