Hailing from Livermore (East Bay), California, SpiralArms differs somewhat from what the band's founders, lead singer Tim Narducci (was frontman of Hard Rock act Systematic) and lead guitarist Craig Locicero (formerly of Thrashers Forbidden) used to do in their past, seen as we're dealing with a great Blues Rock/ Metal act with Stoner affinities.
Actually, that's no so much of a surprise, once you know that the two friends (who know each other from the age of 15) bonded on their mutual love for music, to which belonged not only relatively young Thrash Metal acts such as Testament and Exodus, but also (and foremost) older bands like Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath. Although they remained friends, life's ways saw the friends drift apart somewhat, resulting in divergent musical preferences. Each started/ joined his own preferred type of band, and it wasn't until 2004 that they took contact with each other with the intent to start a band together, with the birth of SpiralArms as result. After some changes (and two demos: one in the formation year, the second in 2007), the line-up eventually settled with the addition of guitarist Greg Narducci (of Sacramento's After the Silence), keyboardist Brad Barth (whom owns the studio where the band would eventually record its debut album), bassist/ backing singer Cornbread (formerly of Vicious Rumors) and drummer Rob Reeden (also plays in Steve Smyth's project Eyeness). Such was the buzz the band made over in California, that Belgian Metal festival Graspop invited the band over to play at their 2007 event...at a time when the band didn't even have an album out!
Well, that changed with the 2010 release of Highest Society. Recorded in Barth's own studio, the music on the album was slightly more geared towards a Heavy Rock style in a general, modern kind a way but, although the album got fairly good reviews and found the band playing gigs all over the US...it was barely a warning for the incredible sophomore album we now have on our plate! As the band states itself, the guys focused even ore on their original musical heroes, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, and that definitely spiced things up considerably. Talking about BS, the guys have even covered “Tomorrow”s Dream” (off the 1975 4 album), and you can take it from me that the original pales in comparison! By the way, in the meantime Greg Narducci was exchanged for one Anthony Traslavina.
In answer to the band's own wish to come play on this side of the Atlantic Ocean again (they still have fond memories from their Graspop performance), SpiralArms have, as we speak, just finished a European tour with Scorpion Child (tour started Nov. 19 in London, and ended Dec. 12 in Vicenza, Italy). If you've missed 'em...well, too bad (after all, so have I), but that's life. Meanwhile, try to get a listening session of the album. The guys àre on Spotify, but just in case that site does nót sport any music off Freedom (I'm not sure how that site works, you know), you'll find a full-length version of the album's opening track “Dropping Like Flies” (and a true representative for the album it is, although there is that wonderfully beautiful semi-acoustic ballad “Lovers Leap”, of course) in the “My Band” section at (www.) facebook.com/spiralarms...alongside a couple of songs off the debut (more of that in the site's “BandPage” section). The music clip for said song can be found in the “Videos” section. For more off the new album, check its page at one of the trusted online sales sites, or go to your local record store (keeping in mind that you probably won't wanna separate from it after having heard it, you know!). Hum...the promo download of the album includes two great bonus tracks, and I guess that means there's also a limited edition of the album! Worth the extra buck, I'd say...but then...who am I? I'm only the dude shuffling this album into my year-lists, that's who...