Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Spellcaster have teamed up with noted metal label Prosthetic Records to unveil their third album (and first for Prosthetic), Night Hides The World.
The album springs out of the traps with the very enjoyable Aria. The opening riff is something that could have come from the early riff book of Judas Priest’s KK Downing while vocalist Tyler Loner immediately demonstrates the range of his powerful voice, which veers between a power metal style and a more unstated tone throughout the album. The title track continues in similar vein, evoking memories of the likes of Priest and Saxon in their 80’s pomp but with modern production values and a solo equal to the bands that have seemingly influenced their sound.
Throughout the guitar work is enjoyable, though as the album progresses some of the riffs start to feel as though they may have been retrieved from the reject pile of some of the greats such as Iron Maiden or Metallica. There are still moments of notable quality: The interlude in Betrayal, the solo in I Live Again and At times Tyler’s voice is so powerful (and high in the mix) that it threatens to overpower the rest of the band, though this does not occur often enough to become a massive issue.
Night Hides The World to some is going to feel almost nostalgic, that it is trying to relive an era of metal that largely departed some time ago. There is perhaps a degree of truth to this, and it is an album that is likely to do better on the European mainland than in the UK, where this type of sound is generally more popular. That said, Spellcaster’s efforts here should not be discounted, as Night Hides The World is a very enjoyable album, it is just feared that on British soil it may find itself with a somewhat limited audience.
Night Hides The World is released on the 8th of July on Prosthetic Records.