Release date: July 18th, 2025
Prepare your scrolls, steel your resolve, and ready your perception! As foretold, Phantom Spell have returned with “Heather & Hearth”! All the realms shall rejoice once more!
On a distant, eldritch plane where time bends and magic reigns, the Black Spire pierces the heavens like a vorpal blade. The obsidian walls radiate a spectral energy that is foreboding to the uninitiated yet beckoning those who heed the call of the arcane. Within its depths lie countless chambers filled with cryptic tomes, intricate dioramas of forgotten realms, and the very essence of spell craft itself. It was in this sanctuary of mysticism that Phantom Spell first emerged in the fabled year of 2021; an incantation of familiar echoes twisted into something wondrously new. The realms, enchanted by these gifts, celebrated as if they were a boon granted by a benevolent deity.
For years, whispers have stirred in shadowed halls of a return. Augurs cast their bones and divined the inevitable truth, though the return was never sworn. Undaunted, it was inscribed in fate’s unerring ledger. Kyle McNeill, lone conjurer within the Black Spire, has toiled in secret, weaving fresh enchantments with meticulous artistry. And so, as the stars align and celestial forces stir, the prophecy is fulfilled: On July 18th, 2025, the long-awaited resurgence of Phantom Spell will come to pass.
Descending from the Black Spire on the wings of a mighty dragon, the next album, “Heather & Hearth”, materializes in this mortal realm soon. It is prophesied to be yet another gift of mystic energies summoned from the void. As any seasoned mage knows, spell craft demands both tangible and somatic precision to achieve true potency, and this sorcery is no exception. Twin guitars clash in a masterful display akin to legendary swordplay, synthesizers (and a Hammond organ) conjure illusory dancing lights, and all elements converge in spectral harmony as Kyle McNeill utters the sacred incantation that binds them.
Though McNeill wields each instrument in the studio like an arch mage weaving sigils in solitude, he has called forth a band of steadfast adventurers, ready to take this formidable magic beyond the Black Spire into the farthest reaches of the planes.
The Adventurers
Kyle McNeill – Vocals / Guitar
Jose Soler- Guitar
Ramon Romero – Keyboards
Miguel Moreno – Bass
José Vicente – Drums
Additional Arcane Knowledge
Mastered once again by Justin Weis of Trakworx, the album has been given the utmost care for vinyl, cassette, and CD release. The vinyl will once more be handled by the splendid Cruz Del Sur, with whom PHANTOM SPELL has formed a strong bond. CD and cassette editions will be released via McNeill’s own Wizard Tower Records.
Prior Incantations
Keep On Running (Digital Single, 2021)
Immortal’s Requiem (Wizard Tower / Cruz Del Sur Music SRL , 2022)
The Phantom’s Spell (Digital Single, 2022)
Tales from the Black Spire (Digital EP, 2023)
Palantíri (split EP, 2024)
Heather and Hearth (Wizard Tower / Cruz Del Sur Music SRL, 2025)
Review
The Autumn Citadel conjures its magic with a daring invocation where guitars and synths entwine like mystical energies, then part, each revealing their distinct resonance. A hush of negative space sets the stage before McNeill’s voice ascends like a spell woven in ancient tongues, “Out in the distance / a white raven takes to the sky / over the ramparts a wind from the west chills the night / high in his tower a wise one draws blood from his hand / to signal the coming a warrior borne of the land…” With his words, the enchantment is sealed. The song surges into full spell power as it weaves the legend of the Autumn Citadel and crackles with arcane brilliance. Vivid, haunting, and utterly enthralling, it ensnares all who dare to listen.
A lone minstrel’s acoustic melody stirs the air as the next song opens. It’s soft, wistful, and a beckoning call. Then, like the unsheathing of a legendary blade, Siren Song surges into full electric grandeur. This is no mere tune; it is a quest, a call to wander where fate’s tides may pull. The guitars chant like battle-tested bards, the synthesizers shimmer like eldritch runes, and McNeill’s voice rises like an oracle’s decree. Together, they weave the tale of a nomad forever drawn to the song that guides his journey. As the crescendo swells and the spell completes, the oath is sworn… the traveler belongs to the siren’s call!
The tavern doors burst open, and in strides the tale of Evil Hand. This is a rollicking anthem spun by daring bards bathed in the light of a dazzling incantation of light. The melody gallops like mounted champions charging into the eternal war between light and dark, its spellbinding harmonies crackling like mage fire in the hearth. The clash reaches its peak where twin guitar solos cross like silvered longswords in a mighty skirmish. Each note is a parry, a riposte, and then a final, victorious strike. The air is thick with revelry, flagons are hoisted high, and the song rings out with raucous abandon. It is assured that this legend will be retold long after the last cask of mead runs dry.
From the void of twilight, A Distant Shore unfurls like a grand illusion, its magic shimmering upon unseen tides. McNeill’s voice weaves a sorrowful saga, the lamentation of wanderer bound to a road with no end, forever chasing echoes of distant lands. Then, the spell twists, transmuting into a jubilant invocation. A deft guitar solo entwines with the synths, melding like harmonious enchantments. But the metamorphosis is not yet complete! A moment of hushed reverence gives way to a baroque incantation and the synths shift into the spectral timbre of a zither, resounding like arcane filigree upon the darkest night. This is no mere melody; it is a spell of grandeur; an odyssey forged in sound.
Heather & Hearth begins as a solemn invocation as a lone guitar mourns in the vast ether, its melancholy tones adrift like whispers of forgotten souls. Soon, a second guitar joins, its timbre brighter, offering a fleeting contrast not unlike the distant warmth of a flickering lantern in the gloom. Then comes the golden synth, crackling like arcane fire, weaving between them, binding their spirits in spectral harmony. The voices rise much like monks in solemn chant; their resonance steeped in devotion. McNeill’s own voice lifts above the chorus, a lone seeker grasping at the truths of life, duty, and the inexorable march toward the beyond. But within sorrow, there is defiance and the song surges, shifting into an exultant crescendo, yearning to break free from fate’s somber grip. Yet all things return to stillness. The spell fades, the music slows to a hushed breath, and like the final sigh of an autumn wind, it dissolves into the sounds of nature. The world continues turning ever onward, as it always has, and always will be.
As the final embers of the hearth crackle low, Old Pendle rises like a bard’s tale spun in whiskey-laced voices, its melody winding like mist over Pendle Hill, where witches weave their midnight spells. This is an established song that has been reimagined through the artistry of Phantom Spell. The song is equal parts shanty and ballad, steeped in old magic and whispered lore. The harmonies gather like revelers around the tavern fire, acoustic instrumentation lilting like a minstrel’s tune, filling the timbered halls with one last enchantment before the night wanes. Our tongues have stilled from merry speech, our limbs warm with mead and moonlit mirth. For now, the road calls us home, where dreams await, steeped in ancient sorcery and shadowed legend.
Conclusion
From the first incantation to the final spell, Phantom Spell conjures an epic spell storm with “Heather & Hearth”. The weaving of guitars, synths, and voices into a sorcery of sound emerges as potent and revered arcane ritual. Like the tomes of ancient sages, its lyrics delve into the eternal struggles that define the realms; Good vs. Evil, the soul’s yearning for adventure, the solemn duty of knowledge-keepers, and the inevitable march toward fate’s embrace.
Each note is forged with precision, each melody polished like an enchanter’s relic or a master armorer’s handiwork, shining with an artistry few can match. Fans of the Led Zeppelin (blending electric and acoustic guitars) and the Moody Blues (fancy-free prog) will find much treasure here. Phantom Spell stands as a triumph in its own right, weaving its own legendary magic despite the echoes of those who came before. The vision remains bold, singular, and unmistakably its own.
Should fate grant you the chance to witness these adventurers perform their craft, seize it! Support their journey by acquiring their wares and bolstering their coffers, ensuring the Black Spire continues to radiate its arcane artistry.
This record stands as a grand artifact because it’s crafted with care, mastery, and boundless imagination. It is destined to be sung in the halls of every great citadel. Bravo!
TheNwothm Score: 10/10
Links
https://www.cruzdelsurmusic.com
https://www.facebook.com/cruzdelsurmusic
https://cruzdelsurmusic.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/cruzdelsurmusic
https://www.facebook.com/phantomspellmusic
The Nwothm 
Leave a comment