#badomenrecords — Public Fediverse posts

There’s a certain kind of music that sits at the crossroads of 70s rock, Goth, and classic heavy metal. Where once I would have dubbed it retro or throwback metal, since 2010, it’s been easier to tag it Ghost-core for obvious reasons. Canada’s Spell fall into that rotpit, with a sound that has come close to what that Swedish supernatural entity did on their early albums. I liked 2020s Opulent Decay, but felt it was missing a certain x-factor needed to take it to the next level of stickiness. For whatever reason, I slept on their 2022 release Tragic Magic, but I’m here for 5th full-length Wretched Heart. Mostly because the lead single “Lilac” has been stuck deep in my brainpan for the last 2 months, compelling me to grab the promo and get reacquainted with these occult-loving Canucks. Their style still floats between 70s rock and Goth metal, with hooks at a premium, and when they nail their template, you get super-catchy chestnuts of pure rock glory. So, how much nailing can you expect from Wretched Heart?

More than I expected, actually. Since the last time I spent time with Spell, they’ve become much more consistent songsmiths, and over the course of Wretched Heart, you get a fun, hard-charging collection of tunes with enough raw charm to make you believe in magic. Of course, there’s “Lilac” which punches way above its weight with an irrestible blend of Ghost and Unto Others. It’s easily my favorite song so far in 2026, and I’ve been walking around singing the flower-powered chorus constantly, much to the chagrin of Madam X, who thinks I’m turning into a morbid florist. Play this song twice, and it will move into your brain and raise 3 generations of earworms. “Take My Life” is another entertainer with an interestingly weird blend of Goth, hard rock, and edgy emo. The chorus sticks on first exposure, and Cam Mayhem’s vocals at chorus-time pack just the right amount of emo angst to sell things. “Unquiet Graves” is a winning little gem, loaded with an intriguing blend of Goth and punk that checks all the right boxes. You’re treated to a winning chorus again, and the mood recalls the best of early Ghost.

Elsewhere, you’re introduced to “Oubliette,” which carries a strong Dawnbringer vibe and sounds like Chris Black dropped by to do guest vocals. It dials up the darkness and heaviness and really zaps the mind. Another highlight is “Exquisite Corpse.” It’s like Idle Hands / Unto Others had a love child with H.I.M., and that shouldn’t be a good thing, but fuck it all, this song is awesome. The chorus is G-money, and though I suspect it’s about necrophilia, I don’t even care and won’t stop spinning it and singing it in public. No song on Wretched Heart is filler, though opener “Dark Inertia” doesn’t put the band’s best foot forward, and the short, funeral home-appropriate interlude “In Duress” seems tacked on for no good reason. Other than that, it’s an elevator ride to the penthouse with one killer cut after another. At a trim, tidy 41 minutes and with most songs in the 4-minute window, this is an easy-breezy spin, and the good songs are made even better because Spell never step on their own meat by dragging things out needlessly.

I was on the fence with Cam Mayhem’s vocals when last I reviewed them, but I’m sold now. He’s like a cross between Papa Emeritus I-V, Chris Black, and Gabriel Franco (Untoothers). His offbeat delivery suits the songs and provides an identity to what Spell are doing. Everyone in the band is credited with guitar work, and the guitars are a huge part of the Spell experience. They run through 70s prog, hard rock, Goth, and metal, borrowing acorns from each genre and assembling sounds to suit moods adroitly. Some of the stuff here is surprisingly dark and heavy without losing the rocked-out vibe, and that’s a nifty feat. There’s even a healthy bass presence that adds some oomph to the sound. The big ticket is the improved songcraft, which is, at times, nigh impossible to resist.

Wretched Heart is a sizeable step up from what I heard back on Opulent Decay, and it seems Spell have come into their own. With Ghost gone to mainstream success and sleepy radio rock antics and Unto Others dropping the tooth jar last time, Spell are here to fill the gaps in your metal listening needs. If you want semi-dark music loaded with earworms and a cheery, tongue-in-cheek vibe, and you can look past that dayglow abortion of a band photo,1 plant this in your topsoil. Pairs well with summer gardening and corpse defiling.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Bad Omen
Websites: spellofficial.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/spellspell | instagram.com/spellofficial
Releases Worldwide: May 1st, 2026

Wytch Hazel – V: Lamentations Review

By Steel Druhm

The Lords of easy-breezy 70s/80s metal return to the chapel of riffs once more to pay their respects. Over the course of 4 albums, Wytch Hazel have perfected their stripped-down, bare-bones take on 70s rock and infused it with just enough metallic oomph to make it stick. Their music is more about joyous worship of nature and higher powers than despair, anger, and hostility, and it feels like a breath of fresh air from a sun-kissed meadow. Albums like III: Pentecost and IV: Sacrament were loaded with power rockers full of riffs, vocal harmonies, and choruses that hit just right and burned into the memory. There was no reason to expect anything different on V: Lamentations, and surprise, surprise, nothing much has changed. It’s still the same infectious, upbeat sound that Wytch Hazel owns completely, but this time it’s even more laid back and restrained. Call it pastoral NWoBHM or 70s-centric “white” occult rock, it makes no difference. The Wytch is in, and you will be seen in the order that your sins necessitate.

Lamentations comes out swinging with one lively hit after another. Opener “I Lament” is the quintessential Wytcher: it’s got a buoyant energy with slick, smooth guitar work that reeks of Thin Lizzy as much as it does Angel Witch, and there’s still a touch of Blue Öyster Cult in the brew too. The song is instantly memorable and goes down as easily as cold (cheap) beer water on a hot day. “Run the Race” is every bit as instantaneous and hooky, with a simple but invigorating energy and a deceptively humble song structure that packs a big wallop. Lead single “Elements” is the best example of the Wytch formula on offer, with a straightforward, vibrant rock style that carries you along, making it impossible to resist. It’s not flashy, nor heavy; it just feels like classic rock with a thin undercoating of proto-metal and an ear for melody.

With all the A-list material on the front half, Lamentations stumbles a bit as it powers to the end. Songs that feel a bit less essential at first, like “Woven,” do grow on you quickly and soon become earworms, but “Heavy Load” fails to leave a big impression. Closer “Healing Power” is better, but not as killer as the stuff packed up front. Ups and downs aside, the album’s 46-plus minutes go by in a flash, leaving you ready to hit replay. This is Wytch Hazel’s most mellow, dialed-back album yet, and though much of the languid rock is tasty and has a ton of cheerful charm, there’s little metal zing in this batch of mead. As their least “metal” release, it’s possible they went a bit too far in the other direction, losing the ability to fully tickle the fancy of the fickle metal masses.

The Wytch Hazel sound relies on the interplay of Colin Hendra’s pleasantly understated, folksy vocals and his and Alex Haslam’s period-perfect 70s guitar wizardry, which drifts just close enough to the earliest days of NWoBHM to absorb a small electric charge. The guitars are very warm and 70s-centric, full of old-timey appeal and memorable bits. The similarity to 80s British metal is more extenuated than before, but it’s still present, and though things never get sharp or edgy, they do still orbit the hard rock/metalverse. Colin Hendra sings in a kind of joyous, expressive way that imparts a slight Christian rock sheen to the material. He’s not the most versatile frontman, but his voice is so compelling that it almost seems supernatural, and he effortlessly guides the songs along with passion aplenty. They have a style that truly works, even when toned down as it is here.

I doubt we’ll ever get a bad Wytch Hazel release, and there’s something so appealing about their intrinsic sound that it ends up tough to resist. That said, Lamentations is a bit less sticky than the past few albums, and the hooks aren’t quite as skin-snagging at times. The good stuff is very good, though. If you loved their prior outings, you will likely eat this up like beer-battered brisket bits. It’s an easy spin, a great palate cleanser, and pairs well with beers on a warm summer day. I just want a bit more heavy metal thunder in my Wytch coven. Godbless.

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 258 kbps mp3
Label: Bad Omen
Websites: wytchhazel.com | wytchhazel.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/wytchhazel | instagram.com/wytchhazel
Releases Worldwide: July 4th, 2025

#2025 #35 #AngelWitch #BadOmenRecords #HeavyMetal #JethroTull #Jul25 #NWOBHM #Review #Reviews #ThinLizzy #VLamentations #WytchHazel