Spell & Pøltergeist
A Waxing Moon Over Babylon / Fall To Ruin
Bad Omen Records
Released : March 28, 2024
Bad Omen Records are about to drop a pair of brilliant split seven-inch records in the coming days – one between Wytch Hazel and Phantom Spell – and this one, between Spell and Pøltergeist.
The medium of seven-inch records is almost a lost art these days, but every now and then, something like this split between Spell and Pøltergeist pops up and drags us back to the old ways of doing things – and I’m a big support of such initiatives.
In days long past, people would spend hours relaxing by a turntable, happy as pigs in shit to constantly flip records over to hear what was on the opposite side. In todays fast-paced world of instant gratification and convenience, all that has been lost – replaced by junk like spotify and streaming. With it, we have lost the beauty and the romance that physical media brought us, and to tell the truth, I greatly miss that despite never having stopped doing it. (I still don’t stream and never will.)
See Also: Necrophobic “In The Twilight Grey” Review
Of course, the irony here is that I writing about the vinyl release of A Waxing Moon Over Babylon / Fall To Ruin while I listen to the MP3 versions of the songs that have been sent my way – but lets ignore the hypocrisy that brings about and pretend I’m waxing poetically about the actual vinyl recording here. Oh and please tell me that terrible pun wasn’t lost on you there.
Whilst these two outfits share Canadian origins, they take singular and eccentric paths on their journey into the ether — Spell with a cover version of occult legends The Devil’s Blood’s A Waxing Moon Over Babylon that weaves its incantatory invocation through their own savagely graceful metallic filigree; and Pøltergeist with the propulsive and crepuscular Fall To Ruin — a crypt-kicking deathrock anthem that charts a pathway from the catacombs to the stars.
For Spell, this seven-inch marks something of a devotional practice, as the band’s brothers Cam Mesmer and Al Lester have been rabid fans of The Devil’s Blood since their inception. The duo even went as far in their earlier years as to take a pilgrimage across the Atlantic to Helvete Club In Oberhausen, Germany, the better to see the band perform one of their first ceremonial rituals, after which they slept in a local graveyard. Their take on a song from the Dutch conjurers’ debut 7-inch is therefore as replete with all the spiritual charge one could demand from a band whose fierce love for classic heavy metal is only matched by their gnostic and distinctive approach; blissful guitar harmonies and haunting melody intertwine here for an evocative and appropriately nocturnal serenade.
Pøltergeist meanwhile set out with a track of their own writing, and one that’s rich with its own uniquely twilit magic. The brainchild of Calgary’s Kalen Baker, the band takes a distinctly DIY and punk rock approach to stadium-sized songcraft, weaving their distinctive web with inspiration from the gothic rock and 4AD indie of the ‘80s as well as the deathless glory of the NWOBHM. The result is Fall To Ruin, a track which marks out the band’s dark marriage of the bleakly catchy and the perversely uplifting. Featuring Spell’s Al Lester on drums, this is only the first taste of a musical elixir sure to provoke rapture all across the darker quarters of the musical spectrum.
Read More:
>> Borknagar “Fall” Review
>> Matt Harvey “Toward The Cold Light” Review
>> Ghoul “Noxious Concoctions” Review
This wonderful seven-inch split can be found on the Bad Omens Records bandcamp site along with a slew of other gems – and the more astute among you will also note that both of the songs on this release can be heard on the site as well. So have a listen for yourself then do what I plan on doing – ordering myself a copy of the record to gleefully sit and flip between songs on my turntable. Convenience be damned.
For Fans Of: Unto Others, Ghost, Poison Ruin
Track Listing:
01. A Waxing Moon Over Babylon (Spell) (The Devil’s Blood cover)
02. Fall To Ruin (Pøltergeist)
