SPELLBLAST is a power/folk Metal band from Italy. They started out as a pure power Metal band, but are now incorporating some folk Metal elements into their style. Italy seems to be a good place for power Metal bands as of late. These guys are pretty good, not great, but very good. My main gripe is that the songs are too short. It's like they aren't able to keep a good idea afloat for more than three or four minutes or so, with the majority being in the three minute range rather than four. There is a slight "epic" if you can call it that. The song lasts a whopping five minutes and twenty two seconds (sarcasm mode off). The stand out on this album is "Battlecry".

The main theme here seems to be battle and fighting, sort of like MANOWAR. If you are going to pick a band as an influence, you might as well pick the mighty and glorious MANOWAR! There are plenty of violins and keyboards present, and they add to the mix. I don't see them being able to replicate the whole sound live without backing tracks as is the case with many power metal bands and is not necessarily a bad thing. I have always been drawn to a sound that is more complicated. I feel it gives the music more depth and intricacies. The vocals are handled very well by Jonathan Spagnuolo. It seems that vocals have been a hard thing for power Metal bands to get right as of late. This is no doubt due to the plethora of these genres of bands springing up like weeds. Somehow, SPELLBLAST managed to get a very good vocalist. If you have a bad vocalist, the best backing music in the world won't help any.

The production is surprisingly crisp. I truly didn't expect this album to sound as good as it does, considering the fact that I have never heard of their label before. There is some good double bass drumming, but it never goes overboard into the speed Metal territory. These guys have a certain sound in mind, and don't stray far from it at any given moment. There are tempo changes in the songs. It's not just mid tempo the whole way, or slow or fast. They manage to add at least two elements of tempos in most of the songs, but the majority (if there must be one) would be classified as up tempo. I like that in a power Metal band.

No slow or plodding songs are needed to prove how 'diverse' they are. Don't forget the bagpipes, whatever you do! I like them a lot here. Nothing says power Metal more than a few notes from a Scott's man playing the bag pipes. I am just joking. It all fits in well with the folk elements. Hopefully they will add longer songs in the future.

If you like folk Metal, this is a must for you. Battlecry has arrived. I hope you like it as much as I do. This band has a bright future ahead of them in my opinion.