If you ever wondered what goes on in the head of a film noir hitman, horror novel asylum inmate, or a golden age silver screen villain, it might sound something like Spirit In The Room.
The vision of Louisiana-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dennis R. Sanders unfurls through cigarette smoke, cheap booze, and distortion like an anachronistic fever dream soundtracked by a collision of gothic vocal hues, immersive alternative architecture, and jarring metallic catharsis. It’s scary at times. It’s sad at other times. However, it’s always unpredictable - especially on Spirit In The Room’s 2022 debut EP for Housecore Records, FLAMINGO.
Occupying a curious and alluring space between late ’60s Los Angeles, The Doors, Hawkwind, and Spiritualized all enveloped in the type of fog that once draped itself around Stonehenge, Spirit In The Room‘s audio manifestations are hazy, complex, and a challenge to categorize; a kaleidoscopic sound of sonic rebellion akin to an experimental version of Nine Inch Nails, Roxy Music, and Black Sabbath and as loud and aggressive as Refused. Emotional, sexy, and unpredictable, the band’s high energy live shows are at once a brick to the face and a soft place to fall.
Simply put, if Phil Anselmo signs you to his own record label, you’re doing something right. And probably something musically dangerous as well.