By now, you should know heavy metal flag bearers Spirit Adrift. The American quartet led by Nate Garrett (ex-Gatecreeper) are all set to release Forge Your Future, their latest EP and follow up to last year’s Enlightened in Eternity, on August 27 but they’re serving an early taste in the form of the music video for “Wake Up.”
As Garrett explains, the video reinforces the “life-affirming power of heavy metal,” something that just about every Decibel reader can directly relate to. Decibel picked Garrett’s brain about quarantine, the new video and Spirit Adrift’s return to the stage, alongside a stream of the new music video.
Forge Your Future is out on August 27 via Century Media.
The songs on Forge Your Future were written in quarantine shortly after you (Nate) relocated to Texas. How were you feeling during that time? Were you writing a lot?
It’s hard to explain how I was feeling. Anyone who watched a goal that was finally within their grasp disintegrate into thin air probably understands how I was feeling. I still feel that way. I was writing and demoing every single day at the beginning of the pandemic, and I still am. The next album will be fully demoed before the EP is released. It’s the most time I’ve ever spent working on an album, by far. I got to be even more microscopic and picky than I’ve ever been. Same thing with the EP. I fine tuned all those songs more than I’ve ever been able to in the past.
When this EP was announced, the band spoke about the “life-affirming power of heavy metal.” What did you mean by that?
Music, particularly heavy metal, is my life. It’s kept me alive through all kinds of stuff that would destroy someone without the kind of outlet I have. It’s my purpose in life, I mean that with the utmost sincerity.
Tell us about the song we’re premiering today, “Wake Up.” It’s a pretty classic heavy metal-sounding tune and the video is relatable… mostly. Do any memories stand out from writing that song?
People were nice to each other for about three whole days at the beginning of the pandemic. Then it was back to usual business, buying up all the toilet paper (why?) and groceries, and ammunition so that nobody else could get any. Most people are always thinking about themselves, never thinking about what they can do for others. That tendency is in all of us, but it’s our responsibility to put work into not being scumbags. People who are slaves to this kind of narcissism and selfishness are missing the entire point of life, the entire point of being human. On my worst days, I am overcome with violent, hateful thoughts about these types of people and I wish they would just die so the rest of us could be rid of them. That’s dark I know, but it’s true. On my better days, I have the urge to just shake them and tell them to wake the fuck up. That’s what the song is about, pretty much. If anyone reading this bought up a bunch of toilet paper during covid, fuck you. You’re a scumbag. Be a better person.
Spirit Adrift have a number of shows coming up in October and the months following, your first since lockdown. Are you apprehensive about playing live again or do you just want to get on stage and finally play your set again?
We are all ready to play. If our agent called up and asked us to tour for five years straight, I would say yes. Let’s go. We’ll play with any band on the planet tomorrow, to any size crowd. We are vaccinated, pissed off, and ready to destroy.
In terms of release schedule, Spirit Adrift is definitely a prolific band. Do you find it hard to maintain this speed without sacrificing quality?
No.
