Spiritworld – return with matallic hardcore, Lovecraftian horror & wild west lore

A thrashing, 2-minute blitz of metallic hardcore, drenched in SpiritWorld‘s signature Old West occultism, “Western Stars & The Apocalypse” is the band’s first new music to be revealed since the release of their acclaimed second album, Deathwestern, in 2022.

The song was engineered and mixed by longtime SpiritWorld producer Sam Pura and mastered by Alberto de Icaza (King Crimson, Clutch).

“I wrote ‘Western Stars & The Apocalypse’ right after Deathwestern came out, when we got home from touring Europe with Agnostic Front,” states SpiritWorld founder/ frontman Stu Folsom. The New York hardcore influence is evident in the blistering song, but Folsom also gives credit to a more unlikely muse: “I was revisiting a lot of Bob Dylan in my bunk on that tour and there is a nod to his song ‘Desolation Row’ in the lyrics.”

Directed by Rob Zombie collaborator Balázs Gróf, the official “Western Stars & The Apocalypse” music video is an animated clip that playfully brings to life SpiritWorld‘s strange universe, a place where the supernatural horror of H.P. Lovecraft and the Western pulp of Louis L’Amour collide. Gróf’s whimsically hellish cartoon features various cosmic beasts, rivers of blood, and Stu Folsom‘s animated alter ego twerking on a grave.

Folsom enthuses: “I really love Gróf’s work and I just turned him loose with the song. It’s a weird, spooky, animated trip through the underworld!”

Vegas native Folsom has been building the SpiritWorld universe for several years now, creating a macabre world where metal, punk, and country-western music meld into one infernal ruckus that transcends the norm.

Raised on a mix of George Jones, Slayer and 7 Seconds, Folsom has stated, “I am making the records that I long to hear and I know they will land somehow in the arms of loners, outcasts and working-class folks like me who need them.”

More than a musician, Folsom is an author too, and SpiritWorld‘s music goes hand in hand with Folsom‘s writings. Debut album Pagan Rhythms and second album Deathwestern are soundtracks to Folsom‘s first published book, Godlessness. Set in a fictional Old West, Godlessness‘ short stories follow an unlikely group of cowpunchers, a bounty hunter, a depraved necrophiliac preacher, and a small band of Comanches, as they do battle with demonic forces. The confidence of Folsom‘s vision, paired with the immediate mosh pit gratification of SpiritWorld‘s sound, caught the eyes and ears of powerhouse label Century Media, who signed the band in 2021, reissued Pagan Rhythms, and unleashed the followup, Deathwestern.

Upon its release, Stereogum described Deathwestern as “a gory symphony that owes as much to Slayer as Cormac McCarthy” and provided this context: “The Las Vegas metallic hardcore band’s preposterously awesome new album presents a fully formed aesthetic — a whole fleshed-out universe of pulpy sonic violence inspired by Westerns, horror, outlaw country, the occult, and the heavy metal classics of the late 20th century… The world-building expands beyond the music into exceptionally gnarly music videos, a companion short story collection by Folsom, and live shows that see the band donning Western suits and cowboy hats. This obscenely fun and fascinating project did not come out of nowhere. It’s more like the grand culmination of a creative vision that has been evolving for years.”

Similarly, Revolver reported: “SpiritWorld’s riffs are impeccable, their moshy grooves are sumptuous and their scabrous-yet-singable vocal chants are irresistible. Musically, the Las Vegas crew are outstanding, but what makes them one of the most thrilling new acts on the scene is all of their extra-musical elements. Their cinematic cowboy outfits, the Wild West lore in their songs, their off-the-wall music videos — all of it feels more like a multi-disciplinary art project than a mere metal band.”

With “Western Stars & The Apocalypse” now streaming, the world gets its first taste of SpiritWorld‘s next phase. 2025 promises to be stacked with new action as Folsom carries this enthralling project forward into its next era. When asked about where it is all heading, Folsom replies simply: “Straight to hell, my friend. Straight to hell.”