Spellcaster: Night Hides the World

Ever write off a band only to come back to them later and be completely blown away? That’s how the new Spellcaster is hitting me right now. I picked up (and enjoyed) their 2011 debut Under the Spell, but wasn’t seeing all that much that set the band apart from the fairly crowed traditional/speed metal pack. What a difference a few years can make.

Night Hides the World is Spellcaster’s third album, and it’s pretty amazing. Having guitarist Tyler Loney take over vocals has made a huge difference, but that’s only one change. Their sound is much more melodic and almost power metal-sounding now, instead of just being about high speed riffs. Spellcaster seems to have evolved the same way Striker did, and it pays off in a big way. Night Hides the World still has that old school metal energy and charm, but there’s a depth to this album that goes beyond the usual high speed odes to metal. We get eight horror/fantasy-themed melodic epics that you can’t help but sing along to.

If you’re looking for highlights, or songs to sample if you’re not quite sold on the album, “The Lost Ones,” “Betrayal,” “The Accuser and especially “Night Hides the World” ought to more than seal the deal. There isn’t a single weak moment here though.

Night Hides the World is such a great old school metal album. Fans of the traditional metal revivalists like Holy Grail, Enforcer and Cauldron will love it, and fans of the more melodic bands like Striker and Widow should too. It even has a bit of crossover appeal into the darker territory bands like Portrait and In Solitude reside in. It’s one of the strongest albums of 2016, and has certainly taught me not to underestimate Spellcaster in the future.

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