A SPELL INSIDE STORIES FROM THE INSIDE DOUBLE ALBUM TRITON RELEASE: OCTOBER, 2000 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 21, 2000

Melrow of A Spell Inside holds one of my absolute favourite singing voices. It's his song writing skills and personal charismatic chords that give A Spell Inside the much needed edge to make them stand out as an excellent band.
"Stories from the Inside" samples all three prior A Spell Inside releases, of which two, the album "Visions from the Inside" and the "Brothers" EP, have gone out of print. The debut "Return to Grey" EP still can be found if you put some effort into your search. A few exclusive remixes are thrown in for bonus, as well as a very successful cover of Sister of Mercy's "Marian".
It's not as easy to describe A Spell Inside's sound as it is to list the contents, but we're talking some form of gothic, dark synthpop with great melodies and clever refrains. I personally think the absolute highlights roam the two EP's, but the album is very solid as well, with peaks in "Boundary", "Days of the Grace" and "Sinnbild". "Return to Grey" has the impressive "We Turn to Grey", "Fire" and "Horizon" to show for and "Brothers" has the title track and "Signs of Greed" to mesmerise the listener.
This said, the material on "Stories from the Inside" is very strong overall, without the downfalls you usually have to deal with. A Spell Inside moves through familiar territories, but they make it sound like you've never heard it before. If you're more into goth rock, don't worry, because Melrow's personal vocal displays can be enjoyed as a piece of Behind the Scenes as well, where Fred Büntig (ex-Merry Thoughts) also is a member. Focus on A Spell Inside for now, though. Discover Behind the Scenes when you've grown tired of "Stories from the Inside" - and that may take a while.

NIKLAS FORSBERG