Visigoth- Final Spell EP Review

Greetings fellow metalheads. You're old pal Sean has been slow on the reviews lately. I haven't had any material until I've had some demos and EPs tossed my way.

I've probably said this before, but I'll state it again if I have to: the US metal scene is severely lacking in the epic category. You know, the shit that makes you wanna take a broad sword to your annoying neighbor that complains you play music to loud and then go plant his severed head on a pole as you raid the rest of your neighborhood. Well, friends, those days are coming.

Visigoth are a heavy metal band based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. (I bet the Mormons out there have one hell of a time with these guys. Ha!). They've got an EP out called Final Spell. It's a four-banger that's roughly over 20 minutes long. They're named after one of the barbarian tribes that sacked the Roman Empire, what else ya want?

The album kicks off with a slight echo and then BAM! it hits you with a sledge hammer riff and a high pitched yell. The riffs just gallop out the speakers and the vocal melodies bounce along side of them and intertwine. The songs are the kind that are just formulated for you to sing along with. The solos roll right off the fretboard, lots of shred and melodies. It's a good blend of NWOBHM influences like Iron Maiden and Saxon with the likes of early USPM acts of Griffin.

The production is damned good for an EP. It's a little on the squeaky clean side, but it's not overly done either. And for a four song demo, there's some decent variety within the songs. You've got the galloping songs like "Creature of Desire" and some nice slow, down tempo ones like "Seven Golden Ships." "Final Spell" starts off on a slightly upbeat track, slows down a little bit towards the end with a cool clean bit, and then steadily speeds up into a ripping crescendo. "Seven Golden Ships" has a nice chunky riff that they build off with, with vocal lines that soar right over them - a counter to the driving pumping riff. The last song "Call off the Road" is a good finish for the EP; a really cool Maideny riff with a slight swing in it and a duo harmonized solo. It's like this century's "Running Free." Honestly, it's my favorite song off of this one. I'm saddened that this was only an EP, by the end of it I'm wanting to hear a little bit more.

Getchoo sum!