the classic-style heavy rock of High Spirits from Chicago

I'll give it to you straight: High Spirits is an American band whose sound is 50% Thin Lizzy and 50% New Wave of British Heavy Metal, or something like what used to be called heavy rock, which is another term for young heavy metal in the 1970s, right before the term became an orthodoxy. The band calls it "high energy rock," and it's heavy metal, but again, it's the young metal when the genre was wide open and the younger musicians were lean and hungry and wanted to prove themselves because their ancestors--Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, so on and so forth--had set the standards very high. High Spirits is uptempo, rocking music, big on melodies, and filled with a certain optimism and the vibe of fun metal. The songs get to the point quick and they do their thing, and then it's over, and the next song arrives, and it's just as catchy as the previous one. Trivia: If you ever read Metal Maniacs, you may be interested to know that the former Metal Maniacs writer Chris "Professor" Black founded this band. Listen to the complete EP at the first link below. Warning: This music might make you play air guitar and bang your head. --MMB

High Spirits

Escape!

Release date: September 8th, 2017

1.Escape 04:01

2.Stagefright 03:27

3.Feels Like Rock and Roll 02:20

4.Lonely Nights 04:14

total time 14:02

Biography (not updated): The world is waiting… It’s ready now… So are you ready?

HIGH SPIRITS wants to know! Because the band is more than ready to share with you its exhilarating new album “Motivator” set for release on 16th September 2016 via High Roller Records. Here’s one album you definitely should judge by the cover: “Motivator” is fast, colorful, uplifting, and going far! It also marks the 500th release in the High Roller Records catalog (HRR500), a sure indication that the band and label alike are proud of their hard work and shared success to date.

When asked about High Spirits’ popularity, founder Chris once joked, “I don’t know! I expected this to be a ‘demos-were-better’ band!” It’s true that the self-titled 2009 demos collection may have caused a minor sensation, originally self-released as a plain white-label LP and sold at the first High Spirits show, which was in August of 2009. A European vinyl release via High Roller Records followed a few months later, and the white-label version is of course a nice rarity nowadays. Occasional Hometown shows in Chicago plus DIY tours of the USA in 2010 and again in 2011 turned out to be a lot of fun indeed, and meanwhile the first studio album was underway.

The album was titled “Another Night”, and upon its August 2011 release, the response quickly built to a rousing cheer. High Spirits and High Roller had a fantastic surprise: everyone seemed to love this album! It felt really good! By 2012, demand was “high” to see the band live in Europe. In May of 2012, High Spirits made its European debut at Rock Hard Festival, followed by two exclusive club gigs in Germany and then Muskelrock Festival in Sweden. By 2013, the band’s word-of-mouth fanbase was growing rapidly. High Roller met the demand with successive pressings of “Another Night” LPs, and the band delivered another run of European gigs, culminating in the long-awaited finale at Keep It True Festival. High Spirits then capped 2013 with an explosive hometown show and began work on the follow-up studio album.

Released in April of 2014, “You Are Here” was a sharper batch of songs compared to the debut. It showcased the more commercial side of High Spirits’ songwriting and also incorporated the raw energy of its live show to a greater extent. Response from the press and the record-buying public was enthusiastic, and the band’s audience continued to grow. Airplay on National Public Radio (NPR) in the USA was once again a fantastic surprise: although High Spirits remained fully rooted in the DIY practices of the independent music world, its appeal (and recognition) had officially extended beyond those borders.

During 2014 and 2015, the band undertook its most intense touring schedule to date, visiting unexplored parts of Europe, Canada, and the USA, as well as returning to places where support was already strong. In 2015 alone, the band performed at seven festivals in six countries! It was an exciting year that left the band feeling very grateful and also wondering what new adventures the future would bring. Songwriting for a third album had begun as early as May of 2014, and with intermittent studio sessions between tours, High Spirits had a finished album in hand at the beginning of 2016.

“Motivator” features High Spirits at its highest-energy, fully-powered best. It’s an upbeat, athletic record, incorporating all of the band’s characteristic musical dynamics and pushing them to the limit. The sound design is authentic, organic, yet richly detailed. And when it comes to the lyrics, the listener will no doubt notice that the album is nearly autobiographical, inspired by the band’s experiences in recent years and offering a potent dose of motivation (of course) for the days, nights, and years to come. High Spirits has never sounded so accessible yet so removed from the norms of modern-day rock music.

“Motivator” will be preceded in August by the single “Take Me Home”, which the band describes as “one of the more atmospheric cuts”, followed by the full album release on 16th September. High Spirits then will be back on tour in October, driven by what just might be their liveliest batch of songs yet, happily headed wherever the road (and skies) take them next.

Are you on board? ‘Cause here we go!

highspiritsmetal.bandcamp.com/album/escape

facebook.com/highenergyrock