Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth

 

 

Phantom Spell – Heather & Hearth 
Cruz Del Sur Music / Wizard Tower Records – 2025
Prog, Rock, Metal
Rated: ****

The first time I heard this album I felt the tendrils of time pull at me, sucking me through a vortex and delivering me in a distant land and distant time. A labyrinthian approach to prog rock, weaving intricate melodies and sparking the imagination with its imaginative storytelling. This is the kind of prog rock that honors tradition by moving back in time and doing everything the old fashioned way. Imploring the metal of yore, the first tones of NWOBHM and rock of the ages. But we’re listening to the new album Heather & Hearth by the highly nostalgic and incredibly warm Phantom Spell. The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Kyle McNeill also vocalist and guitarist for Seven Sisters, Phantom Spell is one man, born in the lockdown kind of project that has become its own adventure. One spinning its own legendary and fantasy inspired progressive tale. The journey continues…

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

Instagram

 

Pale Divine – Consequence of Time

Pale Divine – Consequence of Time

Cruz Del Sur Music – 2020

Rock, Hard, Seventies, Doom, Fuzz

Rated: ****

We love our Doom Charts brethren, all those completely insane heavy music fiends, those crazy contributors that send in their favorite albums each month and of that list of around 300 different albums we publish the Top 25. But then, and I’m sure I’m not alone, we scour through that total list to find even more gold. That gold delivered to us by those heavy underground miners! Ïnïtïatïon by Wirbelsaule for instance or Of Toads, Foxes And Wolves by Plomo. Awesome records both and discovered thanks to the Doom Charts comrades that voted for them. And yes, they could easily have ended up higher in my opinion. But higher up on the list we do find Consequence of Time by Pale Divine, and we were honored to write a little blurb for the June edition of the Doom Charts. Pale Divine started all the way back in 1995. And ever since that time, their doom sound has travelled even further back towards the start of hardrock and metal. The new release Consequence of Time gives us a languid and a syrupy approach to seventies rock. High on fuzz the eight tracks wash over you like veneer, slow, creeping and smothering. There is still a decent amount of doom present and with dual vocals and an ominous undercurrent the consequence of this new record is that it adds so much to what Pale Divine was, is and will be. See what we did there… And go listen to what Pale Divine did, cause Consequence of Time deserves every available moment you have!

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook

\

Orodruin – Ruins Of Eternity

Orodruin – Ruins Of Eternity

Cruz Del Sur Music – 2019

Rock, Metal, Doom,

Rated: ****

We wonder what the exact reasons were behind the long pause. We also wonder what the reasons were for the re-emergence of this awesome band. For as we already jotted down for the Doom Charts: It was right after last months edition when Ruins of Eternity by the Orodruin trio came into the collective peripheral vision of the Doom Chart Contributors. It immediately caused a stir and all of the doom metal fanatics went all rubber and extremely giddy. For the nine tracks on this sophomore release (after a sixteen year hiatus) are all filled with metal, parts NWOBHW and loads of proto metal and seventies doom. This is intense and pure doom songcraft, essential down to the very fiber of everything we love about doom and metal. With grace, with poise and with attitude! There shall be no quarter asked and surely none given. Orodruin is back to show the squares some class!

(Written by JK)

Bandcamp

Facebook