Spell - 'Wretched Heart' (official audio)

You’re here in my arms
But I’m still alone
I want to love you
But my heart is turned to stone
Fruit turns to dust now
As it falls from the tree
Oh I taste your lips
But your love makes no difference to me

I can taste this blood
But I can’t find the wound
Is it me who suffers here tonight
Or is it you?

A Wretched Heart

Give me your sorrow
Give me your pain
Let me become human
Or I’ll turn to stone again
There is no rest now
That can make exhaustion flee
My shame is cast off
Like clothes before the sea

You come to me for warmth
But I’ll just make you hurt
Is that what you want?
Is that what you deserve?

Vines grow from my mouth
And branches from my eyes
There’s no fire to warm me now
Or bring me back to life
Bring me back to life

«Anti-fascist, anti-capitalist hypnotic heavy metal from Canada.»

Κάπως έτσι μας συστήνονται οι Spell οι οποίοι μας έρχονται από τον Καναδά. Δημιουργήθηκαν ως Stryker το 2007. Ένα ep ("Possessed by Heavy Metal" - 2010) και ένα split (με τους Αυστραλούς Johnny Touch) το 2012 ήταν ο δισκογραφικός τους απολογισμός.

Έναν χρόνο αργότερα, το 2013, μετονομάσθηκαν σε Spell, ίσως γιατί υπάρχει και άλλο metal group στον Καναδά με το ίδιο όνομα (γράφονται Striker βέβαια). Έχουν κυκλοφορήσει τέσσερις "ολοκληρωμένους" δίσκους ("The Full Moon Sessions" - 2014, "For None and All" - 2016, "Opulent Decay" - 2020, "Tragic Magic" - 2022), με τον πέμπτο να βρίσκεται προ των πυλών.

"Wretched Heart" ο τίτλος, αποτελείται από δέκα τραγούδια και αναμένεται την πρωτομαγιά σε cd, βινύλιο και σε ψηφιακή μορφή μέσω της δισκογραφικής εταιρείας Bad Omen Records. Εν έτει 2026 οι Spell απαρτίζονται από τους Jeff Black (Gatekeeper) στην κιθάρα, Cam Mesmer σε φωνητικά, μπάσο, ρυθμική κιθάρα και πλήκτρα, Al Lester σε φωνητικά, κιθάρα και τύμπανα, Gabriel Tenebrae στην κιθάρα και στα πλήκτρα.

Δελτίο τύπου: «More than half a century into its life, what exactly is heavy metal? Is it a kind of belief system? Is it something to be observed as a museum piece, or an exhibit in a museum? Or is it, to paraphrase Christopher Lee’s Due de Richeleau in The Devil Rides Out “A living force, which can strike at any moment of the night”?

Needless to say, SPELL, Vancouver’s next-level metal magicians, have plenty of thoughts on the matter. And as far as they’re concerned, heavy metal is something that needs to evolve to stay vibrant and exciting. This has been the fuel for their fifth album, the brashly confident Wretched Heart.

What’s more, this relentless evolutionary momentum has led to them creating their strongest record to date - a thunderous celebration of individualism and eccentricity which stalks its nocturnal realm with savage finesse and beguiling charm.

“Heavy metal can often be a regressive genre, almost by definition. But it doesn’t have to be!” emphasises the band’s singer, bassist and co-pilot Cam Mesmer, “I think that getting set in your ways is death. You have to be open to learning from new influences, or you’re washed up and a caricature of yourself. I consider SPELL to be a heavy metal band, and therefore whatever music we make, will therefore be heavy metal, rather than the other way around, where you try to make your band fit into whatever narrow niche you think heavy metal is supposed to sound like”.

Therefore whilst Wretched Heart is possessed of no shortage of stirring harmony guitars, blazing solos and foot-on-monitor bravura, it also delves into fresh psychic terrain, building on the gothic flourishes that emboldened 2022’s Tragic Magic and embracing an emotional resonance that elevates its viciously catchy songs into the stratosphere.

Central to this is the chemistry of the new SPELL line-up, which consolidates the duo of Cam and drummer/guitarist/co-vocalist Al Lester with keyboardist/guitarist Gabriel Tenebrae and lead guitarist Jeff Black. Having honed this incarnation through touring with the likes of Green Lung, Wytch Hazel and Angel Witch, they’ve forged a union which throws the band firmly from the realm of retro chic into a new, bolder direction which, in the words of Baudelaire, extracts the eternal from the ephemeral.

“I feel that the core of SPELL is more of a feeling or an atmosphere than a specific sound, and by the time a song goes through our filter it always sounds like us anyhow.” reasons Cam. “I’ve never really cared for happy songs. Excited, maybe. Desperation. adrenaline. melancholy, but in a wild and passionate way”. All of these attributes and more are to be found herein.

Aided and abetted by long-time collaborator Felix Fung on mixing desk and “fifth Beatle” duties, and resplendent in a sleeve by macabre visionary Adam Burke; Wretched Heart is a glorious testimony to a band ready to transcend its influences in search of fresh glory.

“Lilac”, the album’s lead single (which also features a guest guitar solo from former Spirit Adrift, Carcass and Angel Witch man Tom Draper) is their most addictive and bittersweet moment to date, channelling both stadium-sized passion and wistful longing.

“Take My Life” is an existential mid-paced stomper with a chorus that a Spandex-clad ‘80s warrior would kill for yet an emotional depth that they might be perplexed by.

“Oubliette” meanwhile tackles the feeling of being trapped under the wheels of capitalism with bleak fortitude, and the gloriously stirring finale title track maps out a curious hinterland where Maiden-esque gallantry can share space with Kraftwerk-style vocoder stylings. Having previously dealt heavily with the mystical and fantastical, Wretched Heart also showcases a new kind of emotional directness, reflecting the band’s own personal lives, as Cam attests “I challenge all lyricists: don’t be a coward! Whatever you’re feeling, have the courage to write about it! Being afraid to be cringe is the worst disaster to befall art”

“I’m always looking for that subconscious, under-the-skin feeling that we all got when listening to our first favourite bands in high school, where it’s just pure and exciting and takes hold of you” he reckons.

“I’ll always worship Maiden, Sabbath and Priest, but I’d hate to be that guy who just goes back to putting on the same records every day. There is always new ground to be broken by those willing to risk it. I hope we succeeded in writing a catchy, exciting, personal record, which also pisses off a few of the more rigid traditionalists”.

Wretched Heart, in all its gory glory, thus embodies a very vital paradox - a record made by true believers who yearn for catharsis beyond. The oxymoron of anthems forged from steel, yet with a very human heart. Even the most cynical bystander will likely struggle not to be bewitched. This album is for anyone going through it” summarises Cam, “Anyone who’s not afraid to lay it all out in the open and feel something real!”.»

Band: Spell
Country of origin: Canada
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Formed in: 2013
Genre: Heavy Metal/Hard Rock
Lyrical themes: Occultism
Years active: 2007-2013 (as Stryker), 2013-present

Audio: "Wretched Heart"
Album: "Wretched Heart"
Type: Full length
Release date: May 1st, 2026
Label: Bad Omen Records
Format: CD (Digipak), 3 colors vinyl, Digital

Track listing:
01. Dark Inertia
02. Lilac
03. Take My Life
04. Unquiet Graves
05. Oubliette
06. Iron Teeth
07. Exquisite Corpse
08. Savage Scourge
09. In Duress
10. Wretched Heart

Band members:
Jeff Black - Guitars (lead), Vocals (backing)
Cam Mesmer - Bass, Vocals, Guitars (rhythm), Synthesizers
Al Lester - Vocals, Guitars (lead), Guitars (rhythm), Drums
Gabriel Tenebrae - Guitars (lead), Synthesizers

Guest/Session:
Alison Black - Vocals (backing)
Tom Draper - Guitars (lead) (track 2)
Kalen Baker - Vocals (choirs) (track 6)
Stephanie House - Vocals (choirs) (track 6)
Nicole McDonal - Vocals (track 6)

Miscellaneous staff:
Felix Fung - Producer
Greg Mindorff - Mastering
Adam Burke - Cover art
Caitlin Delaplace - Photography
Annick Giroux - Layout
Sean Coggins - Logo