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Salt Lake City, Utah's Metal warriors Visigoth are back with a new 4-song EP entitled Final Spell. Their previous demo, Vengeance, leaned towards heavy, epic stuff in the vein of Omen (a band they covered on Vengeance) and Manowar. On Final Spell, the band has shifted to a more Traditional/Power Metal sound and while there was nothing at all wrong with Vengeance, it was a great move as Visigoth sound better than ever.

Final Spell opens with an anthem that should be opening Visigoth shows for years to come, the ode-to-the-road "Creature of Desire." This up-tempo song reminds me of early 80s Priest songs like "Riding on the Wind" and "Freewheel Burning." Singer Jake Rogers has dropped some of the grit from his delivery, but none of the power and he handles the new speedier material well. Guitarists Leeland Campana and Jamison Palmer openly embrace the new direction with some awesome twin guitar work and excellent leads. "Final Spell" continues where "Creature of Desire" leaves off while "Seven Golden Ships" ratchets the tempo back a bit, sounding like it might have been composed when the band was still in Vengeance mode. "Call of the Road," another up-tempo ass-kicker, ends Final Spell on a high note.

Some label needs to step up and sign these guys. They have serious chops and they fly the flag of True Metal proudly. All fans of classic, 80s or otherwise, Heavy Metal should be jumping on this bandwagon now.