Spectre - Lonesome Gambler - CD EP

SPECTRE is the sterling heavy metal vison of Will Spectre. Formed in 2017, the band made its recorded debut that summer with the two-song Silver Invaders / Stand Alone single on the cult Heavy Chains label, which DYING VICTIMS released on 7” vinyl later that year.

SPECTRE’s primary influences are heavy metal and hard rock of the late ’70s and early ‘80s, and they continued that streak with the Hard Attacks digital single in 2018. Four years would pass before the next SPECTRE recording, the two-song Drifter.

On that record, Will Spectre was joined by his heavy friends Jake Glas (Outcast/Teuton) on vocals and David Harrington-George (The Wizar'd/Tarot) on bass. Expanding their purist palette, here did SPECTRE sprinkle spices from Will Spectre’s other musical conjurings – namely, The Wizar'd, Tarot, Dracula, and Crypt Vapor.

Despite its brief length, Drifter was undoubtedly a pivotal recording for SPECTRE, and now the duo of Will Spectre and David Harrington-George return with arguably their best and bravest record yet, Lonesome Gambler. With the average length around five minutes per track, the four songs comprising Lonesome Gambler display an “epic compactness” which wholly suits the moodier material here. Taking the bathos and pathos of its predecessor further, SPECTRE conjure a mystical realm where private-press NWOBHM, dark AOR, and even early deathrock reside: the rocking is measured but not too hard, the melodies are melancholic but not totally depressing, and back on the mic, Spectre’s vocals are somehow anthemic and sagely simultaneously. The vintage synths color these road/life/space-weary ruminations with tastefully dramatic effect, putting SPECTRE squarely on that precipice between 1979 and 1980, equally excited about and fearful of the future. It’s a subtle refinement altogether, but one that proves there’s plenty of magick still to be mined.

Bringing the past into the present, the CD and tape versions of Lonesome Gambler will include five bonus tracks – all from the band’s aforementioned short-lengths, thereby making this a currently complete discography of SPECTRE. Roll the dice and turn the wheel!