Spirit Dies First - Lost And Found

Spirit Dies First

Lost And Found
​self-released; 2020

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Joey Weedmark and Marina Verdichevski are Spirit Dies First. The band from London, Ontario recently released Lost And Found which is a thirteen-song album. They wrote the album over a five-year period.

Their music is rock based and more often than not I felt like the songs mixed sub-genres like grunge, metal, classic rock and more. The vocals are usually covered in a type of hall reverb and felt like they floated above the music.

They get going with “Lost Again” which starts with a Black Sabbath sounding riff. It’s fairly straightforward and the vocals really become the focal center. The vocals are catchy and dark. Up next is the grunge inspired “The Path” which is another song where there is a clear juxtaposition between the gritty distorted guitars and the reverb laced vocals.

“What Can I Teach You?” is really a different flavor. This song is more experimental and not as rock based. The darker sides to the song reminded me of Portishead. There are some smooth vocal harmonies as well and this section had more of a psychedelic Jefferson Airplane type of feel. “World Falls Into The Sun” was a highlight. The mix here between the guitars, drums and vocals really fits in right. I thought the vocals felt like they were raised from beneath the music which was a unique quality.

As the album progressed I did feel like there were some clear highlights. The very ominous and mystical “Elements” was great. It reminded me of the Knights of Templar or Ancient Babylon. The more shoegaze inspired “Spirit Dies First” has its moments as does the cleaner sounding and ephemeral “Melted to The Core.” The drone metal closer “Shape Of A Human” was also a highlight.

The production was sometimes a little too lo-fi for the tone they were going for but sometimes it worked out well. Their sound is broad and I felt like the album was split between the mystical drone rock and the grunge/shoegaze sound both of which I enjoyed.

​Overall, I I thought this was a solid release with some notable highlights. Take a listen.

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