Final Spell

When I reviewed the 2010 Vengeance demo from this Salt Lake City band back in WOAF #1 I found it was full of promising ideas and US Power Metal ambitiousness (that even 3 short years ago was still deeply uncool in a lot of underground circles) unfortunately being swamped by thin production and needlessly groove-laden guitar tones. It was a bold effort, after all it takes balls to do a capella vocal sections with such an unworthy sound quality, and for that I've felt ever since like Visigoth deserved a better sounding record to really showcase what they have to offer. With Final Spell they have absolutely blown away my expectations.

The opening riff to “Creature Of Desire” has cleverly been layered with some studio effects to give it a sound like an old wireless radio, which makes for an all the more huge intake of breath at how good this sounds. Already this is nearly twice as good as the previous demo, and that's before I even take into account how much Visigoth's songwriting has improved in that time. Early Omen (by whom “Battle Cry” was covered on Vengeance) is still the key influence, but Jag Panzer's speed and Twisted Tower Dire's melodic touch are now stamped large over this too, and Jake Rogers has similarly improved his range in terms of tone and intonation to make him one of the best vocalists of any young Heavy Metal act around right now. More than anything, the fun factor on this EP has increased exponentially, almost on par with the likes of Midnight Chaser and High Spirits.

Unlike the demo which was almost entirely North American in sound, including some shameless Manowar/Thor style chest-beating that reappears on “Seven Gold Ships” this second release broadens the scope a little bit to bring in more of a European vibe- specifically Blind Guardian for the musical elements and Hammerfall for the cheese. It's a hard sell mixing the two given how opposed to the the German and Scandinavian melodic bands USPM fans can be, but it is done fairly seamlessly so that the pomp and airiness of one doesn't detract from the hammerblow of the other. The use of some Judas Priest riffing on “Seven Gold Ships” is a nice touch to seal the deal that sends a clear message from the Metal Gods- don't waste time pigeonholing this, just shut up and headbang! And with something that rocks like High Spirits, epics like Twisted Tower Dire and twinkles like Blind Guardian how could you not? [8/10]

From WAR ON ALL FRONTS A.D. 2013 zine- www.facebook.com/waronallfronts