SpiritWorld – Helldorado Review

By Dear Hollow

SpiritWorld’s lone appearance ’round these here parts, like any good vigilante, is an entry in the 2022 AOTY list of then-n00b, now gone-but-never-unforgotten ItchyMenace for sophomore album Deathwestern. But guess what? There’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s mad as hell. So mad, he’ll riff you at sundown in front of the town hall at high noon, so say “yeehaw” and “howdy, pardner,” because that piano’s gon’ stop at the saloon because there’s a fire at the watering hole.1 Out in the desert, there’s a snake with your boot’s name on it and a bullet with your name on it too. So tread lightly, cuz there’s a big black train named SpiritWorld heading straight for your ass – to take you to Helldorado.

All Wild West stereotypes and John Wayne-isms aside, Vegas natives SpiritWorld have been going with the “deathwestern” trope for three albums now. Hardcore punk, thrash, death metal, and country have a hand on their revolver in this five-man shootout, sometimes all at once in an O.K. Corral massacre, sometimes in doses like a hefty shot of laudanum afterwards. Helldorado riffs first and foremost, with kickass and cutthroat Slayer shreds and D.R.I.-inspired hardcore attitude kicking in the saloon door with a steel-toed boot, while a spittoon of experimentalisms are like gooey tobacco made of black metal and jazz. Ultimately, in spite of consistency issues and one-note beatdowns, thanks to SpiritWorld’s utterly batshit ideas and straightforward viciousness, Helldorado is one mighty hell of a good time.

What keeps me coming back to Helldorado is the riffs, SpiritWorld completely surging with adrenaline. Crossover thrash a la D.R.I. gets the riffs going, with heftily constructed beatdowns of speedy Slayer leads (“No Vacancy in Heaven,” “Western Stars & the Apocalypse,” “Waiting on the Reaper”), while more western-themed mid-tempo jaunts laced with gang vocals and meaty breakdowns bring the anvil of brainless mayhem (“Abilene Grime,” “Stigmata Scars”). Compared to its predecessor, Helldorado’s guitar tone is much more nimble, allowing it a cutthroat viciousness and weighted beatdown in equal measure. Vocalist Stu Folsom somehow injects a cowboy accent into his blend of Henry Rollins yells and James Hetfield sneers, always annunciating the lyrics for hardcore callouts.2 Bluesy country-western scales are built into every moment, manifesting in delicious leads, technical shreds, all alongside wailing heavy metal solos that seem to hit at just the right moments – culminating into something that feels a tad like a crossover Pantera. It’s a kick to the groin, and you’ll love every bit of it.

While the previous outing Deathwestern grew old with its overreliance on the chuggy riff, Helldorado changes things up considerably. While the majority of the album only features wild west-sounding melodies, some tracks throw off this structure like a rattlesnake in the boot – it serves to break the monotony of SpiritWorld’s omni-riffage. You’ll first notice the softer country twang that pervades some of the album’s midsection, but its experimental vibes draws comparisons to Kirin J. Callinan’s “Big Enough” (yes, the screaming cowboy song),3 – “Bird Song of Death” and closer “Annihilism” feature rough thrash vocals atop Jason Aldean-esque plucking in an odd concoction, while the whispery vocals and sidewinding sax solo in “Prayer Lips” are sure to turn some heads. “Oblivion” is a curious track, as its ridiculously chunky riffage builds up to a feature of Blackbraid’s Sgah’gahsowáh shrieking atop a thrash riff, later followed up by a punky solo by Rise Against’s Zach Blair. Kreator/Sinsaenum guitarist Frédéric Leclercq contributes a rip-roaring solo to “Stigmata Scars.”

Helldorado is just fun as hell. SpiritWorld’s riffage is front-and-center, but you’ll also be singin’ these songs into the moonlight with a clunky guitar and a cup o’ cowboy coffee, pardner.4 With hell-raisin vocals, kickass riffs, and just enough experimental elements to keep you guessing (or scratching your head), it blows its predecessors out of the watering hole. Sure, in spite of the frivolities, SpiritWorld remains a one-trick pony – but Helldorado ensures they can ride that pony into the sunset.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Century Media Records
Websites: spiritworldprophet.bandcamp.com | spiritworldprophet.com
Releases Worldwide: March 21st, 2025

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