Tragic Magic
by SPELL
JimBrin neonUFO
JimBrin neonUFO
I am absolutely elated to have found this band. The music is pure magic, plain and simple, I feel completely captivated by it. Every song paints such a rich painting in my head, the vocal harmonies and melodies could bring a tear into my eye. It's incredibly hard to pick a single song from this album as my favourite, but there is something about Ruined Garden which rips my heart to shreds in the best of ways, something about it feels so appropriately beautiful and ancient.
Favorite track: A Ruined Garden.
Poesy Rider
Poesy Rider
Après un Opulent decay surprenant à bien des égards, je m'attendais à quelque chose de plus heavy ou plus psychédélique, et pourquoi pas les deux...Que nenni, ou plutôt que nini ! Car c'est ni l'un ni l'autre. Je n'ai rien contre des groupes comme The darkness ou Ghost, mais je ne pensais pas avoir un jour dans ma collection un album de heavy pop. Oui, certes un bon album, quoique peut-être un poil mainstream pour moi.
Favorite track: Cruel Optimism.
karol tolstoy
karol tolstoy
"...Spell liken their music to “hypnotic heavy metal” and it’s a truly spot on description from hem. From the first notes of Tragic Magic to the final ones, it holds you and puts you into a trance like no other that by the end of it you feel different. You gotta sit with what you just heard and soak it in before moving on." Read more on Antifascist Steel: tinyurl.com/wd3nfsp
Favorite track: Fever Dream.
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Streaming + DownloadIncludes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Purchasable with gift cardDownload available in 24-bit/48kHz.
£7 GBP or more
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Record/Vinyl + Digital Album180gm vinyl pressing housed in 350gsm reverse card single sleeve cover with insert
SHIPPED FROM OUR UK WAREHOUSE (UK ORDERS ONLY) AND OUR EU WAREHOUSE (FOR EUROPEAN AND REST OF WORLD ORDERS)
PLEASE NOTE
IF YOU ORDER ANY ALREADY-ON-SALE PRODUCT IN THE SAME ORDER AS A PRE-ORDER ITEM, ALL PRODUCTS WILL SHIP IN THE SAME PACKAGE AS SOON AS THE PRE-ORDER IS RELEASED.
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.ships out within 7 daysPurchasable with gift card£18.70 GBP or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumCompact Disc pressing housed in a 6-panel digipak with a layout realised by Annick Giroux of Temple of Mystery.
SHIPPED FROM OUR UK WAREHOUSE (UK ORDERS ONLY) AND OUR EU WAREHOUSE (FOR EUROPEAN AND REST OF WORLD ORDERS)
PLEASE NOTE
IF YOU ORDER ANY ALREADY-ON-SALE PRODUCT IN THE SAME ORDER AS A PRE-ORDER ITEM, ALL PRODUCTS WILL SHIP IN THE SAME PACKAGE AS SOON AS THE PRE-ORDER IS RELEASED.
SCROLL DOWN TO FIND VERSIONS SHIPPED FROM OUR DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS IN NORTH AMERICA
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.ships out within 4 daysPurchasable with gift card£9.90 GBP or more
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Record/Vinyl + Digital AlbumVinyl Features:
+ 180g Vinyl
+ Variant Options: Black, Black w/ Gold Splatter, Purple Inside Black, or Turquoise Marbled
+ Single Jacket
+ 2-Sided Insert
+ Limited Edition UK Import.
**Item is Shipped from USA via USPS Media Mail - please allow extra time for delivery**
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.ships out within 3 days4 remainingPurchasable with gift card$27 USD or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumCD Features:
+ 6-Panel Digipak
**Item is Shipped from USA via USPS Media Mail - please allow extra time for delivery**
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.ships out within 3 daysPurchasable with gift card$15 USD or more
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumCD Features:
+ 6-Panel Digipak
**Item is Shipped via USPS Media Mail - please allow extra time for delivery**
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.ships out within 14 daysPurchasable with gift card$13 USD or more
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Ltd Edition Ultra Clear Vinyl, T Shirt & Patch Bundle (Ships WORLDWIDE from UK & EU Shipping Hubs)
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album180gm ultra-clear vinyl housed in 350gsm reverse-card sleeve
T Shirt (Gildan soft-style
4" Patch
LIMITED TO 100 UNITS WORLDWIDE
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Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.Sold Out
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CD, T Shirt & Patch Bundle (Ships WORLDWIDE from UK & EU Shipping Hubs)
Compact Disc (CD) + Digital AlbumDigipak CD pressing
T Shirt (printed on Gildan Softstyle stock)
4" X 4" Patch
SHIPS FROM WITHIN THE EU (UNLESS ORDERED IN THE UK - WHERE ITEM WILL SHIP FROM ENGLAND)
SCROLL DOWN TO FIND NON- BUNDLE CD'S SHIPPED FROM OUR DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS IN NORTH AMERICA.
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.Sold Out
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'Tragic Magic' Cassette Tape
Cassette + Digital AlbumTRAGIC MAGIC is finally on cassette tape! Hand-numbered small run, strictly limited to 100 copies, by Ironbound Records. We only have 20 copies in total!!
- Black transparent shell with screen printed logo
- J-card 5 panel with slipcase (o-card)
- Printed on 260gsm paper hi-quality
- Lyrics included
- Hand numbered
- Bonus sticker
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
NOTE: Occasionally, these arrive with the plastic cases broken. If I wrapped them in bubble wrap it would cost 4x as much to ship them. So, as long as the tape still works, if there's just a simple crack in the cassette case, I can't be held responsible for that. Please order accordingly!
Includes unlimited streaming of Tragic Magic via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.Download available in 24-bit/48kHz.... moreSold Out
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1. |
Fatal Breath
03:52
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Years drift before your ancient eyes
Within you the past is still alive
Each breath is an eroding tide
Every hour your world is left behind
Before the silence
Speak to me while your time is left
Don’t let the chain be broken when you take your fatal breath
We’ll pass so quickly in the dark
As each flies towards a separate mark
One breath and I’m again alone
Wandering within this great unknown
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2. |
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Oh, vast cathedral of the sky
Tall narrow windows arching high
Oh, violet lightening’s jagged rays
All tempered to a lilac haze
Fractured colours stain the sky
Invisible unto my eye
Ultraviolet
Focus your celestial eye on me
Ultraviolet
And I’ll stare into it willingly
Oh, loose the heaven’s radiant force
All unknown colours at their source
Oh, let me see your cryptic light
To burn away my final sight
Burn your way into my mind
Take my eyes and make me blind
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3. |
Hades Embrace
03:29
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I’m awake
To the memories that surely time will take
Come and know me now and look into my eyes
And in this final moment say goodbye
Oh, lay me down
Deep into the ocean where I’ll sink and not be found
Oh, let me drown
My mind is slowly rusting
So let me take my place
In Hades cold embrace
She is here
To cut away my memories year by year
By this mocking twin of youth I am undone
And once again a child I have become
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4. |
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My hands seeking in – darkness reach
Open mouth dripping – hair and teeth
Breath of rot and a – sickness sweet
Oh, come and take me down into the deep
Things aren’t as they seem
You’re in a fever dream
So give yourself to me
To find out what I mean
Stumbling steps down a – spiral stair
Pistons hiss as steam – fills the air
Gasping furnace turns – gnashing gears
Mechanical I’m lurching ever near
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5. |
Sarcophagus
03:42
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A symbol of wonder and fear
To transform the body to something unclear
A slab of immovable stone
But inside are left only bones
In longing for infinite days
To witness and be known by eternal ways
The tragedy seen on your face
Will know me as soon as I’ve met your embrace
I’m just a captor of your spell
I’ve seen your face a thousand times
But I can’t know you well
You live inside my dreams
Within an unseen eye
Where you’ve been watching me
Sarcophagus remains
Sarcophagus awaits
Until the final day
Sarcophagus awaits
Within her gilded gold eyes
She shows you a vision of your own demise
Inside a bottomless vase
Beneath the endless glass waves
Deep in desperate dream
But motionless now and forever it seems
You’re always an object of fear
Never a promise that solace is near
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6. |
Cruel Optimism
03:48
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The night is falling over me
The winter’s dawning beautifully
Oh, you’ve come too late
My lips are frozen I can’t wait
…but it was only fantasy
And now the future’s lost to me
The moon is waning every day
My youth is fading suddenly
Oh, let me pretend
That my hour is not at it’s end
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7. |
A Ruined Garden
03:41
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Lost as a fallen tree
An ancient city rots
Under an endless sea
Of tangled ivy knots
Mighty roots will slowly pull each archway down
As vines remain securely bound
I’ll be waiting as branches grow out from my eyes
I’ll be watching as night wears her heavy disguise
I’ll be listening as stories are whispered in rhyme
And I’ll speak when my voice is known only to time
As stifled marble halls
No longer ring with sound
And yawning towers sink
With secrets never found
Stone foundations rest so deep within the earth
As roots much deeper still give birth
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8. |
Souls In Chains
04:26
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They lay enshrined in their velvet halls
Holding court beneath us all
Lying in their lavish graves
They play chess to decide our fates
Cenotaphs that bear their names
Cast mocking shadows upon my face
Evil tongues a snare will set
Their greatest curses are unfolding yet
Caught in a web as helpless prey
(Souls in chains)
Indentured souls who page their way
(Souls in chains)
In a gallows game, we’re just souls chains
For long beyond their earthly time
Their hatred and their greed unwind
They’re laughing in their scornful ways
As they watch the earth decay
Someday at last the end will come
Even the greatest force will be undone
And though you hold the sceptre now
Silence will claim your resting ground
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9. |
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I wandered through the forest deep
On an island alone with my dreams
Ancient paths led me through the trees
And as I heard the branches speak
With the whispered conspiring of leaves
A melody found me on the breeze
And as the red arbutus watch over the sea
And the waves I hear them calling out to me
This is where I’ll always be
My feet soon left the guiding trail
Following this eerie song
As though it was driving me along
I scrambled down a river bank
Pushing through thick ivy walls
Emerging as night began to fall
The music reached an apex
And rang out in my ears
I looked to find the players
But no-one did appear
Rings surround my arching bones
At last I can perceive
That I am red with peeling bark
And bright arbutus leaves
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10. |
The Watching
02:46
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about
Arriving directly from a zone between dream and waking, the fourth album from Spell is here to weave its potent magick. Established as intrepid pathfinders on the journey of classic Heavy Metal into the mystic, Tragic Magic sees the Vancouver outfit honing their approach to seductive effect.
The turbulent two-year period following their triumphant third album Opulent Decay has steeled the resolve of a band who always operated according to their own co-ordinates: “These strange times have encouraged us to look up from the doldrums of our daily lives and reflect more critically on what we’re doing and why,” reckons Cam Mesmer. “For us, this involved stripping away a lot of bullshit to reach a more essential, distilled and purer version of what Spell is.”
This also involved the band becoming a duo for the process. Tragic Magic was written and recorded entirely as a collaboration between brothers Cam and Al (Lester). “And we couldn’t be happier about the result,” says Cam. “The identity of Spell came into sharp focus as it was always intended to be.”
This becomes clear when confronting Tragic Magic; the songcraft here is steeped in the atmosphere of the arcane, yet the hooks are more razor-sharp than ever as ten occult-tinged anthems seamlessly marry majestic bombast and otherworldly allure with gritty resonance.
Whilst influences like the esoteric charge of Blue Öyster Cult and the elemental expansions of Camel and King Crimson are wont to drift through these crepuscular melodies, Spell are as likely to be influenced by the life-affirming energy of ‘60s Motown as the ethereal dimensions of Cocteau Twins, or the strident woe of Candlemass and classic songwriting chops of Russ Ballard. Lyrically, the band also moves into different dimensions. “The themes on this album are more concrete, guided by personal experience,” reflects Cam. “Tragic Magic has to do with mental illness, ageing, the death of a loved one, the decay of time... this is what ‘tragic magic’ means to us – loss and tragedy outside of our control, which fundamentally alters our perceived reality”
Indeed, whilst the approach of this band has looked towards the escapist in the past, Tragic Magic sees them doggedly confronting bleaker forces in search of transcendence. “Life has gotten harder and less hospitable for many people lately, so it didn’t seem appropriate to flaunt excess,” notes Cam. “This album is our response to the world as it currently is: music for an ascetic age.”
More than ever, this unearthly brew sounds like no one else but Spell — gnostic rock warriors transposing their dark arts fearlessly and alchemically into the light. “Music is magic, and Spell is a spell. Fundamentally, it is a forum to make our dreams come true”
The turbulent two-year period following their triumphant third album Opulent Decay has steeled the resolve of a band who always operated according to their own co-ordinates: “These strange times have encouraged us to look up from the doldrums of our daily lives and reflect more critically on what we’re doing and why,” reckons Cam Mesmer. “For us, this involved stripping away a lot of bullshit to reach a more essential, distilled and purer version of what Spell is.”
This also involved the band becoming a duo for the process. Tragic Magic was written and recorded entirely as a collaboration between brothers Cam and Al (Lester). “And we couldn’t be happier about the result,” says Cam. “The identity of Spell came into sharp focus as it was always intended to be.”
This becomes clear when confronting Tragic Magic; the songcraft here is steeped in the atmosphere of the arcane, yet the hooks are more razor-sharp than ever as ten occult-tinged anthems seamlessly marry majestic bombast and otherworldly allure with gritty resonance.
Whilst influences like the esoteric charge of Blue Öyster Cult and the elemental expansions of Camel and King Crimson are wont to drift through these crepuscular melodies, Spell are as likely to be influenced by the life-affirming energy of ‘60s Motown as the ethereal dimensions of Cocteau Twins, or the strident woe of Candlemass and classic songwriting chops of Russ Ballard. Lyrically, the band also moves into different dimensions. “The themes on this album are more concrete, guided by personal experience,” reflects Cam. “Tragic Magic has to do with mental illness, ageing, the death of a loved one, the decay of time... this is what ‘tragic magic’ means to us – loss and tragedy outside of our control, which fundamentally alters our perceived reality”
Indeed, whilst the approach of this band has looked towards the escapist in the past, Tragic Magic sees them doggedly confronting bleaker forces in search of transcendence. “Life has gotten harder and less hospitable for many people lately, so it didn’t seem appropriate to flaunt excess,” notes Cam. “This album is our response to the world as it currently is: music for an ascetic age.”
More than ever, this unearthly brew sounds like no one else but Spell — gnostic rock warriors transposing their dark arts fearlessly and alchemically into the light. “Music is magic, and Spell is a spell. Fundamentally, it is a forum to make our dreams come true”
credits
released October 28, 2022
SPELL is:
Cam Mesmer: vocals, bass, rhythm guitar
Al Lester: vocals, drums, lead guitar
Recorded between November 2021 and March 2022 at Little Red Sounds, New Westminster BC
Produced by Felix Fung
Mastered by Greg Mindorff at Suite Sound Labs
Cover art: Frenzy of Exultations by Władysław Podkowiński, 1863
Layout by Annick Giroux
Photography by David P. Ball
Logo by Sean Coggins
All songs written and performed by SPELL
Additional musicians:
Gabriel B: synthesizers
Ian Chains: guitar solo on A Ruined Garden
Jeff Black: piano on A Ruined Garden
Max Sample: piano on Watcher of the Seas & additional vocals
Rachel Layne: additional vocals
Rob Hamilton: horns and ambience
Felix Fung: additional percussion & backing vocals
Thank you to our family, friends and supporters for making this record possible.
If you like our music, start a heavy metal band!
SPELL is:
Cam Mesmer: vocals, bass, rhythm guitar
Al Lester: vocals, drums, lead guitar
Recorded between November 2021 and March 2022 at Little Red Sounds, New Westminster BC
Produced by Felix Fung
Mastered by Greg Mindorff at Suite Sound Labs
Cover art: Frenzy of Exultations by Władysław Podkowiński, 1863
Layout by Annick Giroux
Photography by David P. Ball
Logo by Sean Coggins
All songs written and performed by SPELL
Additional musicians:
Gabriel B: synthesizers
Ian Chains: guitar solo on A Ruined Garden
Jeff Black: piano on A Ruined Garden
Max Sample: piano on Watcher of the Seas & additional vocals
Rachel Layne: additional vocals
Rob Hamilton: horns and ambience
Felix Fung: additional percussion & backing vocals
Thank you to our family, friends and supporters for making this record possible.
If you like our music, start a heavy metal band!
license
all rights reserved
tags
about
SPELL Vancouver, British Columbia
ANTI-FASCIST, ANTI-CAPITALIST HYPNOTIC HEAVY METAL FROM CANADA
Cam Mesmer — bass/lead
vocals/guitar
Al Lester — drums/vocals/guitar
Gabriel B — synth/guitar
Jeff Black — guitar/vocals
... more
discography
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Mar 2024 -
Oct 2022 -
Sep 2022 -
Apr 2020 -
Jan 2019 -
May 2016 -
May 2016 -
Oct 2018 -
Apr 2014
contact / help
SPELL recommends:
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This is fantastic, honest hard rock. No juvenile posturing here – it's like a wonderful gift from a close friend.
go to album -
Fallacy of Fairness
by Girlfriends and BoyfriendsAmazing album by local post-punk heroes. Beautiful songs, beautiful production. Not to be missed.
go to album -
Sonja kills with power! This album seemed to come out of nowhere this year and we can’t stop listening to it! It’s ultra exciting, exhilarating, melodic heavy metal in its finest form!
go to album
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Very close in quality to their second album for me. It shows that Wytch Hazel keep delivering highest quality hard rock/heavy metal. There's no weak track on here and it's an absolute joy listening to it.
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Having set an amazing track record until now, we definitely know what we can expect of them at this point. This album also does not disappoint and they actually do deliver a bit of an update to their formula here. This LP has a very upbeat and warm feel and is catchy as hell with so many legit sing-along tracks.
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