By Andrew Bansal
When it comes to modern-day traditional heavy metal, hardly anyone can deny or argue against Canada’s status as world leaders in the genre, with bands like Striker, Skull Fist, Cauldron, Axxion, Iron Kingdom and many others marching triumphantly in their respective conquests to keep the old school alive. Adding to the crop of such bands, Vancouver BC trio Spell existed as Stryker for a few years before changing their name in 2013 and releasing the debut Spell full-length ‘The Full Moon Sessions’ in 2014. Now they are ready to release the follow-up LP ‘For None And All’ on May 27 2016 via Bad Omen Records, another potential treat for old-school metalheads constantly seeking new bands with the old sound.
The 10-track album spans a duration of 45 minutes and while it’s very much akin to the stylings of traditional metal, it carries an unmistakably dark vibe, perhaps more so than the material put out by Spell’s peers (Canadian and otherwise), and this is what distinguishes them from those bands. The vocals definitely have that Canadian old-school feel and draw similarities with contemporaries like Jason Decay (Cauldron) and Jackie Slaughter (Skull Fist), that said, the singing is distinct enough to be recognized as the voice behind Spell. The combination of the singing style and guitar work creates the dark, downbeat expression that dominates the album, and often comes across as somber and at times melancholic. ‘For None And All’ is by no means your soundtrack for a fun-filled party hangout, and is certainly more of a mood-specific offering, which further justifies its title.
‘For None And All’ demonstrates that for a three-piece, Spell are appreciably melodic and full-sounding, and even though the album lands on a monotonic plateau early and stays there for nearly its entirety, the melodic nature of the music is clearly noticeable. The brilliantly titled ’Madame Psychosis’ is a compelling opening track and arguably the best song, while ‘Whipping Sigils’ also presents some catchy guitar parts to keep the listener interested. Tunes like ‘Too Late’, ‘The Sickness Unto Death’ and ‘River Of Sleep’ establish the generally downtempo pace of the album. ‘Se¦üance’ is a trippy instrumental and is followed by two of the finest compositions on here, ‘Dark Desires’ and ‘Vanitias’, before the eerie instrumental ‘Sphinx’ brings ‘For None And All’ to a close.
‘For None And All’ is an intriguing piece of work, not powerful and compelling in an obvious way but possessing a great degree of expression in its melodies and painting quite the mental landscape with its arrangements. Spell would clearly mesh with doom-tinged bands in lineups for shows and/or tours much more so than with thrash or power metal bands, and this album puts Spell in that category to a greater extent than the debut LP.
Spell’s ‘For None And All’ dares to differ and challenges the listener, but comes as a release worth delving into.
Rating: 7/10
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Release Date: May 27th 2016
Record Label: Bad Omen
Track Listing:
01. Madame Psychosis
02. Whipping Sigils
03. Too Late
04. The Sickness Unto Death
05. River of Sleep
06. Se¦üance
07. The Veil
08. Dark Desires
09. Vanitas
10. The Sphinx