Vancouver’s Spell captured a different side of the old-school sound across each of their full lengths, channeling just as much hard rock and psychedelic flair as the NWOBHM energy. For their third album Opulent Decay the group has embraced this mixture of styles even further, with the rock elements amplified even further and the writing capturing just about every facet of 70s and 80s heavy music that you could possibly think of. There’s a progressive and psychedelic slant that often requires multiple listens to truly get a feel for everything at play throughout Opulent Decay, but Spell still manages to hook you from that first listen and that’s a balance which is difficult to get right.
Their previous two releases were hard to pin down, but that’s even more true this time around. Spell has never been a group that were trying to emulate one particular piece of the heavy metal template, and Opulent Decay has pushed outwards even further towards just about everything heavy from decades past. The writing tends to favor slower tempos rather than the fast and furious pace of NWOBHM revivalists, moving from doomier and introspective moments to mid-tempo arrangements that have some bite to them. Sometimes you’ll find that a riff is reminiscent of one of the heavy metal greats while another might head into glam territory or even some of Ashbury’s fantasy hard rock, with a healthy dose of synthesizers thrown into the mix to add to the overall atmosphere. But what works to Spell’s advantage is their ability to tie everything together, as even though they operate as a chameleon that can emulate a slew of genre elements, the album is cohesive and has hooks that draw you in initially alongside some depth to be discovered upon subsequent listens. While the album consistently engages, I have to admit that the second half is where the songwriting really reaches its peak as the epic and psychedelic flourishes on “Deceiver” and hard rocking groove on “Imprisoned by Shadows” has drawn me back more times than I can count.
Vocals are split between bassist Cam Mesmer and drummer Lester Spruce, with Spruce taking the spotlight for a significant portion of the aforementioned “Deceiver”. Rather than going for a rougher edged singing pitch or falsetto like a lot of heavy metal bands, Spell’s overall approach skews towards the softer side of the spectrum which suits their hazier atmosphere and psychedelic leaning moments. That’s not to say that the singing is lacking in power, as when Mesmer lets his voice project outwards on doom leaning tracks like “The Iron Wind” it proves to be utterly entrancing. It’s a bit more rock oriented for much of Opulent Decay but given heavy metal’s evolution from 70s hard rock that approach suits what the band is going for throughout the album and the performance here is stronger than ever before.
I have to admit that Spell was a band that piqued my interest but it sometimes felt like something was missing previously, but on album number three everything has come together in a way that is utterly infectious. There’s depth to the writing underneath some of the initial hooks, and any band that can go from 60s/70s psychedelia into hard rock and heavy metal grooves in the course of one song has the potential to grab a sizable audience. It might be a slow burn for some, but give this album the time it deserves and you’re likely to find another highlight of the year. Opulent Decay is available from Bad Omen Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg
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