Band: Phantom Spell | Album: Heather & Hearth | Genre: Progressive rock, Hard rock, Heavy metal | Year: 2025
From: Murcia, Spain | Label: Wizard Tower
For fans of: Wishbone Ash, Uriah Heep, Queensryche
Phantom Spell is the solo project of Kyle McNeill, a guitarist for the power metal band Seven Sisters. There are certainly throughlines between these two acts, but Phantom Spell takes a decidedly 1970s-influenced path in their music. Things are highly melodic, with solos aplenty and dramatic vocals throughout.
Heather & Hearth opens with “The Autumn Citadel”. Energetic, galloping guitars punctuated with squeaky synth stabs immediately set an epic tone. The introduction features both guitar and synthesizer solos, and while the rhythm mostly plows forward, there are occasional metrical jitters that keep the listener on their toes.
In contrast to the intro, the first verse is minimal, slow, and stripped back. Gradually, though, the music starts to push forward until, finally, neoclassical organ lines and crunchy guitars come charging back in. The vocals are powerful and smooth, and the melodies are memorable. Yes-like synth passages are sprinkled in alongside Iron Maiden-influenced guitar solos and vocal lines that draw heavily from power metal.
Moving into this suite’s second half, things calm down, with acoustic guitar and castanets providing the primary backing. Synthesizers still strain and swell against this momentary calm, and the eventual guitar solo which emerges is triumphal and glorious.
“Siren Song”, the shortest song on the album, starts with some quiet and contemplative acoustic guitar. Quickly, though, it jumps into a plodding passage powered by crunchy guitar and swirling organ. Things move upward as the song progresses, buoyed by powerful vocals and squirming synthesizers.
The opening of “Evil Hand” is immediately more kinetic, compared to the preceding cut. Guitar and organ each get their time to lead in the introduction, and the verses are infectious. This song charges forward with irrepressible vigor, and there’s a really fun twinned guitar solo right before the final verse.
“A Distant Shore” is slow and emotive, featuring dramatic guitar bends and watery keyboards. As the song reaches its halfway point, things get weird and wonky. The rhythm morphs and guitars shudder and slither in ways that remind me of Rush.
After three relatively shorter cuts, the album ends on another epic. The 11-minute title track opens slowly and artfully, beautifully weaving together clean guitars and keyboard tones. The opening verse has some nice, folky tinges, which are reinforced with lightly-ragged guitar, light percussion, and multi-parted vocals. Even after the instrumental tones become more metallic, I love the subtle touches of acoustic guitar in the background.
About halfway in, the song kicks into high gear, propelled by a galloping rhythm and searing lead guitar. This is where Iron Maiden’s influence is most obvious, and it’s a thrilling climax to the record. From this apex, things cool down, with more stellar guitar solos leading the way into a striking a cappella passage to wrap things up.
Phantom Spell’s sophomore release is a strong and eminently enjoyable record. There’s a brilliant synthesis of sky-high melodies, blazing instrumental passages, and a sense of whimsy that prevents things from getting bogged down.
Score: 86/100
The Elite Extremophile 