UMUR
"Spells of Speed" is an EP release by US heavy/speed metal act Spellcaster. The EP was independently released in January 2010. spellcaster formed in 2009 and "Spells of Speed" is their first release.
The 3 tracks, 17.20 minutes long EP features a relatively standard heavy/speed metal style, which is raw, hard rocking, and effective, but which doesn´t add anything new to the genre or sets Spellcaster apart from other similar artists. Lead vocalist Thomas Adams has a decent voice and delivery and the band are well playing. The songwriting is alright but again nothing exceptional for the genre. The influences from early- to mid-80s heavy metal and speed metal artists are obvious ("Locked On" is for example strongly influenced by 1982-1983 Metallica).
"Spells of Speed" features a raw, powerful, and detailed sound production, which may be a little rough around the edges, but not in a negative way. The rawness of the sound production actually suits the material really well. Upon conclusion "Spells of Speed" is a decent quality heavy/speed metal release and there´s some promise here, although Spellcaster still needed to work hard to reach a higher level of quality and uniqueness. A 2.5 - 3 star (55%) rating is warranted.
