SPIRITWORLD - Pagan Rhythms vinyl + Godlessness book

SPIRITWORLD: Las Vegas crushers announce "Pagan Rhythms" vinyl and "Godlessness" book

Las Vegas-based metallic hardcore act SpiritWorld turned many heads this summer with the release of debut album Pagan Rhythms –– a feast of Slayer and Sepultura-inspired thrash, hardcore swagger, occult imagery and Western themes reflecting the upbringing of SpiritWorld mastermind Stu Folsom and his Nevada home. Folsom enlisted an ace team of collaborators to help realize his infernal visions, including drummer extraordinaire Thomas Pridgen (The Mars Volta, Trash Talk) and producer Sam Pura (Self Defense Family).

Stereogum's review of Pagan Rhythms declared: "SpiritWorld... rips so hard. Folsom delivers all of his lyrics in a vast demonic bellow, and the music is a fast pummel that occasionally takes on the grisly grandeur of death metal. There’s also any old-timey country song in there."

Folsom described his unique set of influences with this statement: "My great grandmother was Cherokee... My grandfather was a rodeo cowboy and ranch hand... There was a mix of George Jones, Slayer and 7 Seconds constantly blasting in the family car and I fell in love with all of it... 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."

Now, at long last, the first vinyl pressing of Pagan Rhythms is available, via Safe Inside Records – a limited pressing of 500, consisting of four color variants.

Also now available: the first edition of Godlessness, a collection of Western/horror short stories penned by Folsom, set in the universe of Pagan Rhythms. "Think equal parts classic Western pulp like Louis L'Amour and the twisted genius of Clive Barker and you are in the ball park," he says. The book was edited in part by the late Riley Gale, vocalist of Power Trip, and Folsom and dedicates the book to his memory.

Pre-order Pagan Rhythms vinyl and the Godlessness paperback, along with SpiritWorld merch (including new shirt designs and limited edition toys), here:

https://spiritworldprophet.com/

Pre-order two exclusive vinyl variants and an exclusive shirt design from Safe Inside Records, here:
https://deathwishinc.com/collections/safe-inside

"SpiritWorld has been my own DIY effort from the start and I am really excited to partner up now with the great folks at Safe Inside and Deathwish," states Folsom. "Great to have an awesome team to help collaborate and get this record done the right way."

"SpiritWorld is really just one person, the Vegas doomsayer Stu Folsom, though other musicians, like the former Mars Volta drummer Thomas Pridgen, also play on 'Pagan Rhythms'... It rips so hard. Folsom delivers all of his lyrics in a vast demonic bellow, and the music is a fast pummel that occasionally takes on the grisly grandeur of death metal. There’s also any old-timey country song in there. 'Pagan Rhythms' is one more extremely good reason to bang your head today."

–Stereogum

“Slayer-esque riffs are spat out by razor-sharp guitars that wrap around the listener and constrict like barbed wire; the drums, half of which are by Thomas Pridgen (ex-The Mars Volta), half of which are by Adam Elliott (ex-Apiary), hammer the ears with enough force to destroy solid concrete; Folsom’s vocals sound like they’re the product of a child created by a Max Cavalera/Jamey Jasta hate fuck. There’s also some country-western flavoring, a product of Folsom’s admiration for country singers like George Jones, country-punks like John Doe, and bleak Western storytellers like Cormac McCarthy..."
–MetalSucks

"The ability to dodge spinkicks and backfists in venue-encompassing mosh pits will continue to be vital when SpiritWorld begins playing live more regularly, but that’s only the start of the checklist. Revelers will also require loose neck muscles to headbang freely to the black-metal blast beats and death-metal riffs, air guitars for the cocksure classic-rock swagger and, perhaps most importantly, Stetson hats and boots to match the lyrical content... SpiritWorld takes its name from a line of dialogue in 1988 Billy the Kid-based blockbuster film 'Young Guns,' and the Western influence pervades the material."
–Las Vegas Weekly