With their heavy riffs, melodic vocals, and driving rhythms, Spiritu was at the forefront of the initial stoner rock explosion. In the three years since their debut, they�ve stripped away some of the spacier aspects of their sound and cut back on the sprawl. Their four tracks on Human Failures are more focused, and in the case of �Throwback,� much meaner than before. In fact, that particular song takes on an almost Solace-like approach to riff-mongering. Village of Dead Roads is more in line with the Cavity and Isis groups. Their songwriting is more angular and dissonant, leavened with singing that alternates between the standard hoarse shout and a cleaner, melodic croon. Human Failures is a great split, as it showcases two distinct sides of a genre that continues to evolve and splinter. If you want some traditional groove-centric heavy rock, Spiritu will do the trick. And Village of Dead Roads can only go on to bigger and better things.

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