More awesomely evil and old-school heavy metal from Italy's Demon Spell here on their 2026 debut album, Blessed Be the Dark. The style is pure '80s (with a modern production, of course) and the riffing here is chock full of US metal crunch with some creepy keys thrown in for good measure. What separates Demon Spell from most of the other bands mining the '80s are the vocals of Federico Fano, who, like King Diamond before him, hits the low growls all the way to dog whistle shrieks and everywhere in between. It isn't an easy style, but when done right, as Fano does, it sucks you into the songs. I think the previous EP, 2024's Evil Nights, was a bit more exciting, but Blessed Be the Dark is solid all the way through with no low spots. These guys are high on my list of bands playing traditional heavy metal and should be on yours as well.
