THE SPIRIT is a death/black metal band from Germany, who formed in 2015. Their latest release, “Songs Against Humanity” is their fourth full-length album; they have also released an EP. THE SPIRIT is a band who get better and better; “Songs Against Humanity” is a testament to that, their best album to date, and sets them well on the course towards being one of those bands who never disappoint. The most impressive aspect of this album is that it’s so damn unrelenting yet it’s still accessible and melodic when it needs to be. There is just a ton of energy and urgency in every song, it’s nearly palpable and always 100% engaging. I do have a couple small issues, which may or may not bother others. Although the album sounds, for the most part, great, it does feel a little closed off…perhaps just a little too dense and could have used a more “open” sound. This is more of a personal taste than a true issue, however, so take that with a grain of salt.

The final song, “Orbiting Sol IV,” is a good song but I feel like it’s placed wrong in the tracklisting. Being both the album’s shortest song and an instrumental, it seems like it would be more fitting to be placed in the beginning or in the middle. With that being said, it’s hard to argue with the band choosing “Against Humanity” to open the album. This is a rager and by the time a minute had passed, I already had whiplash. MT’s vocals are searing, a mouthpiece for the end times. His guitars are just as potent, nothing but punishment on a grand scale. Of course, MS's drums back all of this up in a monolithic way with his ever stalwart drumming. As the song courses towards the middle of its being, melodic guitars/bass enter just before a wonderful solo cuts through. The drums are so goddamn great here, MS is just as effective at intricate playing as he is barreling through.

“Cosmic Rain and Human Dust,” is one of my favorites on the album, specifically the drums. It’s hard to give drumming an unique flavor but MS doesn’t have that issue. This is a riff based song, both in guitars and bass, and some of the album's best moments can be found. Case in point, is the middle part which features short, powerful guitar notes that start and stop within seconds as the drums pound it all in. The guitar solo is short but fantastic, leading naturally back into the rage filled final moments of the song. “Death Is My Salvation,” is placed very well in the track list, being the longest song on the album at nearly eight and a half minutes. This is one of the most atmospheric songs on the album, the band finding balance between its more hectic personality and their use of melody. My favorite part in the song is around the 5: 20 mark, when the song slows down in one of the best passages of music on the album then suddenly speeds up, the song racing to another melodic part before returning once again to blackened chaos.

“Songs Against Humanity” takes THE SPIRIT to the next level and their next logical steps in the discography. I don’t see any reason why fans of the band would not enjoy this album but it’s accessible enough to grab plenty of new fans too.