Heather & Hearth is the second album from the U.K.'s Phantom Spell, a band whose music spans the decades of hard rock and heavy metal, from the '70s to the present. "The Autumn Citadel" opens Heather & Hearth with the first of countless hooks and riffs that stuck in my brain from the first listen, enhanced by some awesome, proggy keys that brought me back to the '70s occult hard rock of my formative years. "Siren Song" has an epic, almost doom vibe and another chorus that I can't stop singing. There are straight-up rockers, folky numbers, etc. and I want to describe every single song on Heather & Hearth, but instead let me say that every single one is a winner, catchy, infectious and distinctive in a way that few albums in today's world of voluminous releases can even hope to aspire to. I hear influences ranging from Uriah Heep and Styx to Pagan Altar and Witchfinder General to Dark Forest and Solstice, but Phantom Spell have truly blended them into their own sound. If it wasn't obvious, I love this album, a lot, and haven't stopped playing it since I received the promo. I highly recommend it to any fan that's got room in their playlist for occult, underground hard rock and heavy metal, as Phantom Spell have absolutely nailed it on Heather & Hearth.