Spell - Opulent Decay (2020)

I was so hyped up on For None and All that its follow-up, four years later, Opulent Decay, felt like a bit of a letdown up front. Not like its a far cry from the sophomore outing, but the band has once again taken a bit of a left turn, and molded a few new influences into their heavily retro metal sound. Namely, there are some guitars here that give off more of the classy Goth rock vibe, and the use of synthesizers seems more like something you'd hear on an atmospheric metal record than an old Boston disc. It turns out that was I was being a bit presumptuous, because this is actually another strong work for the Canadian trio, perhaps not their best, but showing that they can continue to move along in whatever direction their imagination takes them, and bear me along for the ride.

The album is like if you mixed some Rush and Sisters of Mercy with other Canadian retro metal bands like Cauldron or Freeways. It still sounds like something that could have burst out in the latest 70s or earlier 80s, Cam's voice is much the same as it was on the last album, maybe more moody and reserved, and the riffs are still densely melodic and metallic, a lot of them dwelling in that vintage margin between glam/hard rock and true heavy metal from decades past, but almost always well-thought and catchy. But the compositions here are far more liable to throw you for a loop, they'll be treading along lightly with a melodic metal verse and then go into something a little more bottom-heavy and jammy, and it's there that the slight prog rock touches really shine through. The drums and bass feel thicker and more syrupy than the album before it, and the material definitely casts a weird vibe much like that cover art...okay, maybe it doesn't sound like a Lovecraftian hell-scape, but its not the easiest to define.

The sense of adventuring with their style is probably just as strong here as on the sophomore album, and that's the real value of Opulent Decay. Cuts like "Sibyl Vane" and the epic "The Iron Wind" just ricochet off into a million little sub-styles, from prog to heavy metal to Goth to doom. Or they'll go with a different vocal as in "Deceiver", or the awesome, mournful harmonies of the vocal piece "Ataraxia". Who the hell would expect that? There are just a lot of unexpected components to this one, and that ultimately makes it worthwhile and ties into the more epic, mystical, fantastic themes the band is exploring. And who knows just where the hell they're going to take us next? It should definitely prove interesting.

Verdict: Win [8.25/10]

https://spellofficial.bandcamp.com/

Spell - For None and All (2016)

As fun as The Full Moon Sessions proved to be, there was a little sense of it being slapped together and lacking cohesion, something the Canadians Spell were quick to fix on the sophomore effort For None and All, which excels beyond its predecessor in just about every department. You've still got that sense of nostalgic 80s metal, almost like a collage of the obscure NWOBHM and Metal Blade acts from that decade, but this new album also has a bit more of an infusion of 70s hard rock and proto-metal due to some of the retro riffing, lead guitars and vocalizations. It all comes together quite wonderfully to be what I'd consider the trio's strongest work to date, obscenely catchy and just sounding tremendous coming through my car speakers. Yes, this is just another album I love to spin when I'm driving my sons around or just want a soundtrack for the wind through my beard (my old man proxy for having a head of hair), it's a highly mood-driven collection of tracks that sound just as good now as they did six years ago.

I suppose Cam's vocals are the place to start, he's got a very authentic, natural mocking tone to his voice that sounds impetuous but perfectly suited to the music, especially when it comes against the more epic contrast of something like the choir that erupts in "Whipping Sigils". The way he delivers his lines does remind me of fellow Canadians Cauldron, who also use a very down-to-earth, guy-next-door sort of vocal style, but the pitch is higher, more playful and leering. There are a few tunes in which it can feel a little monotonous, a wider range wouldn't hurt, but they're still beyond adequate. The guitars are extremely melodic, running through a rich set of patterns in each tune with one of the most wonderful guitar tones. I'm actually reminded a bit of the first two Def Leppard records with a few of those great rhythm guitars in the mix, and also by the constant crest of melodies and harmonies, but really this guy is using all sorts of effects to add in bluesy, funky or atmospheric layers as well. Graham McGee is great here.

 
The bass pops along audibly with lots of nice grooves or fills to round out the amazing guitar performance, and the drums sound very natural and authentic to the fusion of 70s and 80s metal influences. They also use some cool throwback synthesizer pad lines, choirs, or really whatever the moment needs to sculpt tracks that go straight into your memory, and I very often found myself wondering what decade I was in, although the music here is strong enough to conquer the 21st century. For None and All is magnificent...it might not maintain the same level ten tracks deep, but there are no stinkers in the bunch, and this should be a go-to to any true heavy metal fans heavy with nostalgia for hard rock and metal for such formative years, being thrust into the present with a style just as fun as your latest power metal or Euro arena metal obsession. Easily one of my faves of that entire retro inspired Canadian heavy metal scene!

Verdict: Epic Win [9/10]

https://spellofficial.bandcamp.com/

Spell - The Full Moon Sessions (2014)

You always gotta wonder how a band lands on such an obvious, simple moniker as Spell and yet it hasn't already been taken by some legacy act for decades. I'm positive there are some other underground acts that have used it through the ages, but it's just so perfect to the type of metal these Canadians perform that it feels that the moons were really in some sort of magical alignment for all this to come together. Part of that massive Canadian blitz of the last decade that includes groups like Cauldron, Striker and Skull Fist, these guys make an strong impression right out of the starting gate with a series of NWOBHM-sounding hymns updated for the 21st century through brightness of production alone, and very little to any other nuance or evolution of the much-beloved roots of melodic heavy metal.

The Full Moon Sessions offer up a nice variety of proto-speed/power metal and then occasionally a bit that sounds a little more epic like a Manilla Road, Manowar or Omen, and they've got a nice mix here that never quite sounds the same, even the production sounds a little rawer and rougher on some tunes than on others, yet fittingly so. "Electric Witchery" has a big, booming epic metal anthem feel, where "Never Enough/Sisters of the Moon" is just a filthier force with some great little screams and picking passages. And then a piece like "Possessed by Heavy Metal" sounds like a raunchy, faster-paced Twisted Sister if Dee was using a higher pitch. The bass and drums are also good, but I think the real highlight of the style has to be the aesthetics and production which make this sound like you've stumbled across a box of old 80s heavy metal demos from bands that never really got to live the dream, or maybe a compilation tape mix that a few heshers were passing around those 30-40 years ago and now you can finally bring it to light and recognize it for the glory which its own creators never fully grasped.

It's certainly a little short, only about 25 minute if you were to clip off the acoustic instrumental "Zott Lee" from the ending. It's also little cheesy, a fraction generic, and sure you've heard every technique and probably most of the riffs on this album before, but for me it's just the right sort of tribute... intelligent in how its using influences below the mainstream of 80s metal, and unwilling to sacrifice its underground sincerity by going too polished with the production. Of the three Spell albums to date, this one was the loosest, you could argue the band might not have fully locked down where it wanted to be, but judging buy the differences between its too successors, I think this is a case of some guys who don't planning on resting on any laurels and writing whatever the hell they want at any point in time. If you want the trio's most structured and mature material, you'll want For None and All, without question, but if you love the charm and glitz of traditional under-the-radar North American heavy metal with a healthy heaping of British influence, this debut is a no-brainer too.

Verdict: Win [8/10]

https://spellofficial.bandcamp.com/