Album Review: Spellbound - 'Nothing But The Truth' - Reviewed by: Fury

Band Name: Spellbound
Title: Nothing But The Truth
Date of Release: February 13th, 2015
Record Label: Bret Hard Records
Genre: Thrash Metal
Website: 

http://www.facebook.com/spellboundalliance

Reviewed by: Fur

Tracklist

1. New World Puppet
2. Leave This Dream
3. Forgotten And Gone
4. Shapeshifter
5. Dying In The Dirt
6. Warcult Of Fire 

7. Broken Hope Society
8. The Alliance Of Spellbound
9. Xecution Wave
10. Of Long Forgotten Wars
11. Invasion Blue Beam
12. Fireball (Bonus)

Spellbound started in 1999 as death metal with some black metal and thrash metal influences and over time switched over to thrash. Their first demo 'First Contact' was released in 1999. They released three demos in total before their debut album, 'Incoming Destiny' in 2005. Their previous album 'Nemesis 266' goes back to 2007 on their former label Armageddon Music and took a few years because Spellbound was on hold for a while. Founder and guitarist Dave Maier moved to Nuremberg and in 2012 assembled a new line-up with lead axe player Phil Carroll, Eldo Prosch on drums and bassist Domi Merz (ex SOUL DEMISE / ex FINAL BREATH) and they unleashed an intense, furious third album, "Nothing But The Truth" on Bret Hard Records.

Their album cover was created by the iconic artist Ed Repka (Death, Venom, Possessed, Nuclear Assault, Whiplash, Megadeth, Atheist and many others). Another masterpiece that has been created with legacy of the mighty elders of Thrash Metal, Death Metal and Black Metal.

The album starts strongly with 'New World Puppet’ which combines sharpened guitar lines with riffs that demand to be heard. You can hear them throw in a Latin sounding interlude piece that was catchy and stood out. The solos are wicked and shows the skillful guitar abilities of the German Metal commandos of the late 80’s. This song reminds me more of a technical instrumental that will put metal heads in the pit into a massive frenzy while others can sing along to the chorus.

Sometimes an album will start off strong and some songs that follow are weaker, but not in this case. The opener is followed by a strong track, 'Leave This Dream'. Great drumming is displayed within this song along with multiple guitar solos that blew my mind away. The vocals sent thrashing chills down my neck, especially the lower background vocals that some would miss out on when not fully focusing on each section of the song. You can also hear some excellent high speed tempos within the song, 'Forgotten And Gone'.

'Shapeshifter ' begins with a spoken word section that sounded familiar but I could not pin point it at first. It took a while before I come to realize it was a section taken from 'Necronomicon Ex-Mortis', also known as 'Book of the Dead' and 'Naturom Demonto' in the original Evil Dead script. What a brilliant idea and piece they selected.

"Nothing But The Truth" is an impressive, strong and solid album that has tracks that many will find memorable while their catchiness is fully head-banging material. Their musical arrangements, smashing thrash riffs, solos that at times sound acoustic, licks and vocal harmonies are to be noted in my metal books as old-school thrash. The aggression and sheer hatred have met my expectations as one hell of a great album for 2015.