Canadian occult heavy metal/hard rock act Spell premiere new music video for »Unquiet Graves«; »Wretched Heart« LP out now via Bad Omen Records!
Vancouver, Canada based occult heavy metal/hard rock band Spell premiere new music video for »Unquiet Graves« taken from their latest full-length album, »Wretched Heart«, out on May 1st, 2026 via Bad Omen Records.
Tracklist:
01. Dark Inertia
02. Lilac
03. Take My Life
04. Unquiet Graves
05. Oubliette
06. Iron Teeth
07. Exquisite Corpse
08. Savage Scourge
09. In Duress
10. Wretched Heart
Courtesy of Bad Omen Records:
»Unquiet Graves« is taken from Spell’s fifth album »Wretched Heart«. Directed and animated by Caitlin Delaplace, the clip is 100% hand-drawn animation and painstaking stop-motion – months of physical labour in an era of algorithmic shortcuts.
According to Spell themselves “»Unquiet Graves« is about being haunted by the spectres of loss. We cannot escape the memories of that which we once loved. No matter what we do, they remain constantly around us, in places most familiar. You can try to silence them, but they’ll still be there waiting as soon as you open your eyes. It was awesome collaborating with our dear friend Caitlin on this fun video! This is 100% hand-drawn animation & painstaking stop-motion. I know she worked on it for months. In a world overrun by garbage AI slop, we believe in the human value of art – created by and for humans, intentional in every detail, and a product of the physical and emotional labour of the artist! Every human can and should make art. The purpose of art is not perfection, but expression. We’re so honoured that Caitlin was inspired by our song to take the dive into making her first animation! Inspiring others to make art is the highest compliment I can imagine.”
Director Caitlin Delaplace adds:
“This was my first attempt at animation on this scale, so much of the process was learning by doing. I knew some of the fundamentals, but I had to figure out a lot through experimentation and trial and error. It was definitely a learning curve, but incredibly rewarding to see everything gradually come together. I’m very thankful to Cam and SPELL for trusting me with this project and giving me the opportunity to experiment creatively. Their friendship, encouragement, and trust throughout the process meant a great deal to me. There’s nothing I love more than creative collaboration with friends!”
Photo credit: Caitlin Delaplace
More than half a century into its life, what exactly is heavy metal? Is it a kind of belief system? Is it something to be observed as a museum piece, or an exhibit in a museum? Or is it, to paraphrase Christopher Lee’s Due de Richeleau in The Devil Rides Out “A living force, which can strike at any moment of the night?”
Needless to say, Spell, Vancouver’s next-level metal magicians, have plenty of thoughts on the matter. And as far as they’re concerned, heavy metal is something that needs to evolve to stay vibrant and exciting. This has been the fuel for their fifth album, the brashly confident »Wretched Heart«. What’s more, this relentless evolutionary momentum has led to them creating their strongest record to date – a thunderous celebration of individualism and eccentricity which stalks its nocturnal realm with savage finesse and beguiling charm.
“Heavy metal can often be a regressive genre, almost by definition. But it doesn’t have to be!” emphasises the band’s singer, bassist and co-pilot Cam Mesmer, “I think that getting set in your ways is death. You have to be open to learning from new influences, or you’re washed up and a caricature of yourself. I consider Spell to be a heavy metal band, and therefore whatever music we make, will therefore be heavy metal, rather than the other way around, where you try to make your band fit into whatever narrow niche you think heavy metal is supposed to sound like.”
Therefore whilst »Wretched Heart« is possessed of no shortage of stirring harmony guitars, blazing solos and foot-on-monitor bravura, it also delves into fresh psychic terrain, building on the gothic flourishes that emboldened 2022’s »Tragic Magic« and embracing an emotional resonance that elevates its viciously catchy songs into the stratosphere. Central to this is the chemistry of the new Spell line-up, which consolidates the duo of Cam and drummer/guitarist/co-vocalist Al Lester with keyboardist/guitarist Gabriel Tenebrae and lead guitarist Jeff Black. Having honed this incarnation through touring with the likes of Green Lung, Wytch Hazel and Angel Witch, they’ve forged a union which throws the band firmly from the realm of retro chic into a new, bolder direction which, in the words of Baudelaire, extracts the eternal from the ephemeral.
“I feel that the core of Spell is more of a feeling or an atmosphere than a specific sound, and by the time a song goes through our filter it always sounds like us anyhow.” reasons Cam. “I’ve never really cared for happy songs. Excited, maybe. Desperation. Adrenaline. Melancholy, but in a wild and passionate way.”
All of these attributes and more are to be found herein. Aided and abetted by long-time collaborator Felix Fung on mixing desk and “fifth Beatle” duties, and resplendent in a sleeve by macabre visionary Adam Burke; »Wretched Heart« is a glorious testimony to a band ready to transcend its influences in search of fresh glory. »Lilac«, the album’s lead single (which also features a guest guitar solo from former Spirit Adrift, Carcass and Angel Witch man Tom Draper) is their most addictive and bittersweet moment to date, channelling both stadium-sized passion and wistful longing. »Take My Life« is an existential mid-paced stomper with a chorus that a Spandex-clad ‘80s warrior would kill for yet an emotional depth that they might be perplexed by.
»Oubliette« meanwhile tackles the feeling of being trapped under the wheels of capitalism with bleak fortitude, and the gloriously stirring finale title track maps out a curious hinterland where Maiden-esque gallantry can share space with Kraftwerk-style vocoder stylings.
Having previously dealt heavily with the mystical and fantastical, »Wretched Heart« also showcases a new kind of emotional directness, reflecting the band’s own personal lives, as Cam attests “I challenge all lyricists: don’t be a coward! Whatever you’re feeling, have the courage to write about it! Being afraid to be cringe is the worst disaster to befall art.”
“I’m always looking for that subconscious, under-the-skin feeling that we all got when listening to our first favourite bands in high school, where it’s just pure and exciting and takes hold of you” he reckons. “I’ll always worship Maiden, Sabbath and Priest, but I’d hate to be that guy who just goes back to putting on the same records every day. There is always new ground to be broken by those willing to risk it. I hope we succeeded in writing a catchy, exciting, personal record, which also pisses off a few of the more rigid traditionalists.”
»Wretched Heart«, in all its gory glory, thus embodies a very vital paradox – a record made by true believers who yearn for catharsis beyond. The oxymoron of anthems forged from steel, yet with a very human heart. Even the most cynical bystander will likely struggle not to be bewitched.
“This album is for anyone going through it,” summarises Cam, “Anyone who’s not afraid to lay it all out in the open and feel something real!”
Order / Stream »Wretched Heart« HERE.
Produced by Felix Fung.
Recorded at Little Red Sounds, New Westminster, BC, March-October 2025.
Mastered by Greg Mindorff at Suite Sound Labs.
Cover painting by Adam Burke.
Photography by Caitlin Delaplace.
Graphic design by Annick Giroux.
Logo by Sean Coggins.
Line-up:
Cam Mesmer – Vocals, Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Synthesizers
Al Lester – Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Drums
Jeff Black – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Gabriel Tenebrae – Lead Guitar, Synthesizers
Additional musicians:
Alison Black – Backing Vocals
Tom Draper – Guitar Solo on »Lilac«
Nicole “Trish” McDonal – Scream Vocals on »Iron Teeth«
Kalen Baker and Stephanie House – Choir Vocals on »Iron Teeth«
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well