The Spectre Beneath - The Devil's Whisper
Genre: Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal; -The Spectre Beneath have been working from the shadows since day one. Their first two albums (The Downfall of Judith King (2019) and The New Identity of Sidney Stone (2020) were released to critical acclaim. Yet, there was little fanfare, even as The Ashen Child came to be in 2023. Album number four - The Devil’s Whisper - is an hour of pure Spectre as we’ve come to know them, and it is time to learn their name. Technical, progressive power metal, packed with explosive solos, unwavering riffs and sky splitting vocals from returning vocalist L. Lockser. The album opens - as Spectre's albums have had a tendency to - on a monster of riffing, pure dark atmosphere and showcase of the musicianship we’re about to indulge in. Plague (The Black Caress), after an eerie children's rhyme that sets the stage expertly, produces some technical groove riffs and progressive twists to fill out the speedy, melodic leads. The monstrous riffs, thunderous drums and bone tingling bass come together with the virtuosic lead guitar work from Vini Assis.
Aside from Assis, Jimmy Konsta and Alex Gusinsky take care of the lead guitars on the album, while main man Pete Worrall takes care of the rhythm guitars and bass. The man has stuck with this project through the years, refining and polishing the sound we heard on the debut, but never deviating too far. The riffs and songwriting on The Devil's Whisper are some of the greatest in the band's discography; from opener Plague (The Black Caress) to the eerie, brooding Sabbath-esque riffing on the title track, to the progressive flair on Forgivenes. Jeff Teets of Mindmaze (who are sadly calling it quits soon) also makes an appearance; he gets to take things to the next level on bonus number Inferno (End of Days). Capping off the album in spectacular fashion, the bonus song has all the elements you'd come to expect from The Spectre Beneath; quick, driving riffs and soaring vocals - this is the end of days. Gusinsky delivers some of my favorite solos on Sister Hyde and Conundrum - both high octane belters where speed blends with technical virtuosity, and Gusinsky’s solos strike like face melting lightning.
Lockser, or simply L. L. proves once again on this album that she can - and should - be counted among the greats of the genre. She manages that fine line between innocence and menacing; from soaring choruses to snarling, bitter bites. Sister Hyde sees her at the peak of her maniacal mastery, while more “traditional” power metal songs like Germ or Inferno (End of Days) showcase her control of the genre. She is probably at her best in the title track though, as it delivers almost doom like riffing for her to set her operatic touch to; add in some more phenomenal lead guitar work from Gusinsky and I think we might have a discography highlight. And that leads us back to the album as a whole; for 57 minutes we’re taken back to the dark world of Judith King (at least in a few of the songs) from the first album. Since then there’s been no stopping, and the musicianship on The Devil’s Whisper is tighter than ever before; the songwriting more eager, the riffs and vocals more demanding and still delivering with that same quality. And the atmosphere is deeper and darker than ever before; take the plunge and from Ring a Ring o’ Roses there’ll be no turning back. The Spectre Beneath have done it again; The Devil's Whisper is quite simply flawless.
Highlights: Sister Hyde, Conundrum, The Devil’s Whisper, Forgiveness
