Spellcaster is a Speed/Thrash band from Portland, Oregon. Recently, the group signed to Heavy Artillery Records after impressing the label with their three song demo Spells of Speed. As part of a new demo series, a reissue of this demo will be made available in strictly limited quantities on CD and Vinyl, with two bonus live tracks attached. For the original demo, the material is simply solid, hard hitting Speed and Thrash Metal, mixed together nicely to give the listener an old school metal feel that nicely preps the labels devout followers for their newly signed attack.
Spells of Speed, as stated, is a very nostalgic blend of the Speed and Thrash styles that show some great diversity in the band's ability to write songs. The first track on the release, "Chainsaw Champion", is just a Speed Metal thrill ride from start to finish that shines through with intricate, yet catchy, guitar riffs that are complimented by well paced drumming and a rougher vocal approach that extends into a higher falsetto style during the chorus, all working together to create an old-school song that competes well with such legends as Sodom and Kreator. Meanwhile, the following track, "Locked On", features a clean singing vocal approach that works well and gives off a less powerful Iron Maiden approach to the song with Thrash riffs reminiscent of early Metallica. Sadly, while the vocals work with the song, they just sound weaker then they should be for the music being played, but the chorus shows a little more effort through some rhaspy vocals once more, as well as the random falsetto moments. Things pick up once more for the final studio track, "Spellcaster", where there's some more technical guitar work and paced vocals and what could be interpreted as some Egyptian-inspired riffs during the bridges of the song and some commanding gang chants which also appear during "Chainsaw Champion" with the same force.
While "Spellcaster" is great in it's own right, the most impressive aspect of this song, and second most enjoyable aspect outside of the starting track "Chainsaw Champion", would be the way the band closes out the song. The song concludes with the music picking up, becoming much catchier and utilizing a two-step bass kick Thrash style more then anything. But, while the music is superb to finish off the song, and this release, it's the guitar solo that hits during it that not only brings back fond memories of the early days of Thrash, but fits the atmosphere of the song and the music so well that it will have you stopped in your tracks just listening to it. While the whole song itself is great, it leaves the listener wishing that the band had built the music to the song more around what is presented at the end of the track more then anything else, leaving you wanting more from the band after being hit with such a well done portion of a song.
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The music for the Heavy Artillery Records reissue has not been altered in any way, so the material you are getting is the legitimate demo recording, right down to the artwork used, just slightly altered and made to look more professional. However, included on this pressing are two bonus live tracks that capture Spellcaster at their best. The quality of these recordings can only be described as raw, as if they were recorded by some fan who happened to be at the show, probably in the back somewhere. This doesn't change the fact that these show off the band's talent on stage, which is obvious during "Spellcast (Live)", which allows you to compare the track to the studio and see that this isn't a band that will kick you in the ass from the studio only. The final live track, however, is a newer track that more then likely will be on the band's debut full-length effort, "Power Rising (Live)", which sounds a lot like "Locked On" as far as the set up goes, being a lighter song that seems Thrash oriented but bridges into a Heavy Metal feel reminiscent of something Iron Maiden would approach with clean vocals that just sound a bit weak against the music, but an all around enjoyable track none the less. Aside that, the only other gripe would be the long pause between "Spellcaster" and the reissue exclusive "Chainsaw Champion (Live)", which is so long you'll think everything just stopped, with no transition into the song other then slamming right into the guitars filling set time loudly with random noises through the chords being played.
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The EP's only real fault is that the clean singing feels a little weak against the music being played. Other then that, Spells of Speed is a fantastic release that demands the attention of fans who enjoy Speed, Thrash, or their old-school pioneers. Spellcaster managed to weave this demo in a way that it showed off both their pros, and their cons, but still leave the listeners wanting more at the end. If this release is any indication of things to come, Spellcaster is definitely a band to watch out for.
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