Style: Heavy Metal, Progressive Metal, Hard Rock
Recommended for fans of: Iron Maiden, Rainbow, Hällas, Witchcraft
Review by: Doug
Country: UK
Release date: 19 August, 2022
The realm of “heavy metal” is replete – perhaps even oversaturated – with subgenres, each label conveying subtle distinctions of tone and style. Phantom Spell is a new solo project of singer and guitarist Kyle McNeill and, apparently, part of the “New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal,” a wave which is only moderately new (Wikipedia informs me it began in the faraway times of the mid-2000s) but certainly is traditional. This genre tag is Familiar Ground for McNeill as it also describes his main project Seven Sisters, but with Phantom Spell he pivots to include elements of progressive and prog-adjacent groups such as Iron Maiden, Rainbow, or Blue Öyster Cult. The product has a clean, traditional heavy metal sound with a few dashes of progressive spice throughout and a driving energy you can’t ignore.
Unsurprisingly, this album masterminded by a guitarist features some excellent guitar playing. Once the intro track wraps up, “Dawn of Mind” leaps out of the gate with an immediate taste of what you can expect out of Immortal’s Requiem. McNeill plays with a distinct contrast between the deeper and more heavily distorted tone of the backing rhythm guitars and the higher and cleaner leading melody lines with minimal distortion (be they solos or riffs carrying the melody in between vocal sections). This is not an unusual sound for practitioners of traditional heavy metal, but in McNeill’s hands it sounds epic and energetic: the opening bars of “Dawn of Mind” never fail to get me immediately hyped to listen to the rest of the album.
In between these epic moments, Immortal’s Requiem settles into a softer and more mysterious tone where the vocals typically take the forefront – and my excitement wanes a little. The guitar work still holds strong – even if it’s less in-your-face exciting – and McNeill is certainly a competent vocalist, echoing the Eric Blooms and Ronnie James Dios of yesteryear; that said, his voice doesn’t instill nearly the same energy as his guitar melodies and feels slightly strained and hollow when he reaches for high notes (an example would be the one minute mark of “Seven Sided Mirror”). The setback in energy doesn’t ruin my enjoyment of the album by any stretch, and maybe the contrast in tone is necessary in order for the peak moments to feel so lofty, but I find myself listening far more for the guitar breaks and solos than for everything in between.
I would be remiss if I didn’t praise the closing track, “Blood Becomes Sand.” In contrast to everything I just said, this song makes excellent use of the softer moments, vocals and all, to build atmosphere and ramp up to the eventual climax. It’s an excellent song that combines the best of the traditional heavy metal sound with the depth and complexity that long, progressive song structures offer. Although all of Immortal’s Requiem crafts an immersive atmosphere, “Blood Becomes Sand” perfects the feelings of mysticism and internal fears and uncertainty that serve as the album’s themes and leaves the listener satisfied but still wishing for more to consume.
Immortal’s Requiem drips with all the metal nostalgia implied by the monochrome and cross-hatched cover artwork. The music itself is a well-crafted love letter to heavy metal of old and a worthy exploration by McNeill into the wider depths of progressive music. Although the intoxicating energy of the lead guitar can’t be maintained all throughout, the softer moments add contrast to even better highlight the breakout highs, and together the contrasting moments weave a musical spell that I’m content to let entrap me.
Recommended tracks: Dawn of Mind, Blood Becomes Sand
You may also like: Seven Sisters, Divine Intervention, Lightning Born
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Wizard Tower Records
Phantom Spell is:
– Kyle McNeill (vocals, all instruments)
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