Beware of SpellBlast’s genre description in this review; yes, it does read Power / Folk Metal, but this Italian band’s debut leans much further to the power metal side of things. Much, much further. In fact, Horns of Silence is probably one of the corniest power metal albums I’ve heard in quite a while, and the frequent quirky folk moments seem to only add fuel to the fire (reaching oh so high, high in the sky, etc.). However, if you’re a fan of double bass-driven power metal, complete with cheery melodies and hokey lyrics, then you’ll find plenty to enjoy in SpellBlast’s sound, whether or not you appreciate the folk metal genre. On the other hand, if you’re wanting a purer folk-influenced experience, then ride on, friend; SpellBlast may want you to believe that they’re as tradition-minded as, say, Finntroll, but this is mostly a power metal record through and through.

Horns of Silence plays out almost like a less mature variation of an Elvenking album; here, SpellBlast incorporates simple, galloping riffs, epic keyboard usage, and solid vocal work into an album that remains relatively entertaining throughout. To keep things folksy, a guest violinist is also used, with the keyboards often emulating various other traditional instruments. Yes, this description could likely be applied to dozens of other bands, but in truth, SpellBlast’s songwriting skills are very good considering that this is only their debut, with most songs sporting multiple sections with varying tempos and styles. For example, Glory to the Gem (likely the best track on the album) begins and ends with soft acoustic sections, while the main segment of the song sports thrashy riffs and an uplifting chorus; the chorus is performed three times, though on each repetition the keyboard melody changes, along with the riff structure and drumming style. It’s creative touches like this which make it evident that the members of SpellBlast are very passionate about what they’re doing.

Though there are original touches to be found throughout Horns of Silence, it does suffer from a bit because of its uncreative guitar work; in the riffing department, you’d be hard-pressed to find something other than palm-muted tremolo chugs, and the soloing is uninspired and ultimately fails to impress. Also, a few of the stabs SpellBlast takes at performing folk metal come across as more annoying than creative; The chanting on Goblins’ Song, for example, is nearly painful to listen to. My one other complaint is the lyrics; they’re so awfully over-the-top and nonsensical that Horns of Silence can seem like a parody of the entire power metal genre at times.

Other than these flaws, however, it’d be quite difficult to not be charmed by SpellBlast’s speedy, cheery brand of power metal, and while a few brief cameos from Damnagoras may not exactly be enough to impress Elvenking devotees, fans of that band (and of cheesy power metal in general) should find themselves a very entertaining album in Horns of Silence. By no means perfect though certainly a lot of fun, SpellBlast certainly put themselves on the map with this album (some of their songs on Youtube have hundreds of thousands of views) and will hopefully grow and mature in the future.