Band:	SpiRitual
Album:	Pulse
Style:	Gothic metal
Release date:	January 2006
A review by:	wrathchild

01. This Battle Is Yours
02. Symphony Of Life
03. Nahash
04. Pulse
05. Khundas [re-release bonus]
06. You Believe [re-release bonus]
07. Save And Heal
08. Nowhereness

The world of metal has been expanding a lot those last years and we won't complain about that. Now it's becoming harder to come up with something fresh and new, and that's why we ought to present this new maxi CD by German artist Stefan Hertrich.
Some of you may already have heard of this guy for he has composed some soundtracks for PC games and has also recorded many albums with the German gothic metal band Darkseed, as well as some other ethnic-related projects (Betray My Secret and Shiva In Exile).

If you happen to be familiar with the latter, SpiRitual won't be a great surprise for the band uses the same kind of female oriental chants or whispers, flute and percussions. The real difference is that the metal parts of the songs are definitely more vivid - not blasting but somehow raging just like Stefan's vocals, between harsh vocals and growls.
This often puts the emphasis on the contrast between those soft ethnic moments that will make you think about nature and the electric and intense metal moments, more reminding of fire (but not chaos), as the videoclip for the titletrack "Pulse" illustrates perfectly.
I should also tell you that most of the guitar work is riffless, based on low-tuned chords and that the solos are perfectly integrated (often by the end of the songs) and highly melodic.

"Finding the life that burns inside" could sum up the message delivered through the music. I wish I could say that SpiRitual is giving metal a new life, but I'd better a say that their music would be described as a new breath, something that is needed to keep metal alive. This first release is excellent, yet I'm sure there's more to be exploited. The ethnic side of the music can definitely be extended to include more traditional elements from various ethnic groups. All in all, I can't wait to hear from SpiRitual again.



Note: The CD comes up with a multimedia track, really well designed with the videoclip for "Pulse" and some articles about metal and music written by Stefan Hertrich and Dr. Phil Christian Rätsch. Plus, the artwork is great!