Artist Spotlight: Spiritwalker
Meet the heavy vocalist based in Asheville, NC
Hi Pal,
Welcome to Artist/Band Spotlight. This is a newsletter where I have short introductory conversations with artists and bands on the Christian music scene.
Bio: Spiritwalker is a heavy music project spearheaded by Brandon Marlowe, based in Asheville, NC. A diverse set of influences brings a unique spin on traditional metalcore roots. His debut album “Heretic” is the culmination of these ideas, featuring relentless energy through a blend of anthemic choruses, massive breakdowns, and catchy riffs.
Q: Hi, can you talk to us about your inspiration and motivation for creating music?
My motivation for creating music has always been to connect with people and to find ways to do so. When talking about a faith-based perspective especially, this connection can be vital from an evangelical standpoint in showing the world Christ, or from a discipleship standpoint, in being able to share burdens with one another for those who are also going through that same walk. So, music creation for me has definitely always been about connecting with people.
Q: How would you describe your sound and your creative process?
The creative process and sound are kind of tied into one another. My sound is definitely metal core, but also has some definite tendencies to progressive music and/or riff-heavy music — I am primarily a guitarist and have done that for a long time so it’s one of those things I can’t really get away from.
The creative process itself, I think comes from a space where I have an idea I cannot forget, I take that idea, put it down, and try to flesh it out. I'm sure other musicians feel this way — you have an idea of how something is going to go, and by the time you start working on it, you get a couple of pieces surrounding one particular element of a song. In all, the creative process can vary from a chorus idea first, a riff idea, a chorus chord progression, or even a drum beat. I'd say inspiration comes from a lot of different directions.
Generally speaking, my main goal and focus is to come up with something that people enjoy listening to, from a catchy, detailed, and in-depth standpoint — something that can offer meaning to it while also being immediately appealing and jumping out at you.
Q: How has 2023 been for you so far musically and what can folks expect from you for the rest of the year?
2023 has been a super cool year for me musically — putting out my first record, which I mixed, mastered, and produced by myself, writing everything except for the drums on one song (shout out to Brandon King for contributing to the drums on “With Luck, Forward”). Putting out the album is a huge step for me, and I feel like I finally broke out of the fear of releasing music by myself. I'm thrilled, the album's reception has been so kind and that means a lot to me.
As for the rest of the year, I've had a lot of stuff running around in my head for a long time. Heretic has eight (8) songs, seven (7) of which are fully developed and a prelude as the album opener. I'm going to continue to work on making this release stand up in the way it should. I don’t anticipate slowing down as I want to put out something else by the end of the year for everybody new or offer something new to everyone who is willing to listen to me now and continue to give people what they are looking for.
Here are some final thoughts from Spiritwalker:
Thanks to Brandon Marlowe for taking the time to meet us.
Listen to Spiritwalker here:
Apple Music • Deezer • Other Links
Connect with Spiritwalker here:
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