Bryce R. VanHoosen

Portland metal guitarist Bryce R. VanHoosen, who right now has nearly 12,000 Instagram followers, elaborates: "I wanted to get to where I could put solos on YouTube, but the point of entry for that platform was a little too high. Pro-recorded, shot, and edited—man, I don’t know how to do any of that shit. Then you have Instagram, which was 15-second-long videos, and I was like, ‘OK, 15 seconds... that bar is pretty goddamn low.’" - Reverb.com

Guitarists Cory Boyd and Bryce Vanhoosen know their way around their instruments and studied layered harmonies at the firm of Smith, Murray, Downing, Tipton and Associates […] It’s this combination of past and present stabs at metal that give Spellcaster’s material a more streamlined, song-oriented feel. - Metal Injection

RONZWORLD Guitars and Bryce VanHoosen are partnering in anticipation of the talented guitarist’s upcoming west coast tour with heavy metal band SPELLCASTER. The partnership will yield a signature, hand painted modified Charvel Model 3 that VanHoosen will play during a lineup of shows throughout British Columbia, Oregon and California this fall. - Ronz World

‘Night Hides The World’ is diverse and full of catchy, feel-good melodies. It might bring you in mind to a few of the (real) greats in metal, from bits of the Alder-era Fates Warning to Queensryche and Iron Maiden. Everything is wisely placed and it’s incredibly cool that these five lads sound like one entity and not separate musicians just playing together for the sake of showing off their own individual skills. […] This album is the metal soundtrack of your summer! - Iron Fist Magazine

Infectious is the key word throughout. […] Cool picking and aggressive streak in “The Lost Ones”, while follow-up “Betrayal” offers a mid-tempo staccato riff. There’s a brief snippet of Iron Maiden inspired twin guitar interplay in “I Live Again”. […] “The Moon Doors” closer is almost end-to-end guitar runs. - Brave Words

Night Hides the World has a lot to offer. It’s soothing yet engaging, the performances are stellar, and the songwriting is simple—even if the actual fret-board theatrics aren’t. The bass has just as much presence as the guitars (check out “Night Hides the World”) and the drums are exacting. The latter is capable of cruising with soaring choruses and staring down chugging riffs. And the guitars? They fucking shred. Be it the soloing and synchronized maelstrom of “The Moon Doors” or the beauty of “Betrayal,” these boys can do it all. - Angry Metal Guy

Night Hides The World truly understands the bleak and bitter realities of the heavy metal hellscape. It’s rare that we find a band who can speak to the soul and also remind us of a lost time. Now as we face perhaps a new Reagan and an uncertain future in America then we can see that we are on track for something far more terrifying and need music to match it. Spellcaster are the soundtrack to a lost generation and a reminder that as bad as it might get, there will always be a sense of infinite return keeping us safe. - Two Guys Metal Reviews

Vocalist Tyler Loney sings his ass off and the twin guitar attack of Cory Boyd and Bryce VanHoosen has classic metal riffs for days infused with a 70’s rock sound at times. The rhythm section of bassist Gabe Franco and drummer Colin Vranizan provides a pulsing backbone that’s like a thick cut of steak, cooked to perfection. And the songs? Well the songs are what make the engine go. - Amps and Green Screens

Tyler Loney‘s vocals are in fine form and the melody throughout […] is infectious. The twin guitar attack of Cory Boyd & Bryce VanHoosen is shredtastic as well. - KNAC.com

I already know that many of you will think that SPELLCASTER is one more wannabe old-schooler out there, and “Night Hides The World”is one more same-ol’, same-ol’ LP but I’ll correct you by saying that these guys have their own special way to approach the so-called NWOBHM / ‘80s Speed Metal (that has become such a big trend these days). On top of that, they have the right attitude to support their music onstage and that’s a huge plus for me. - Metal Kaoz

Good riffs, tasty solos and mellifluous leads are in great abundance across this very pleasing 45 minutes. The word shred was coined for a band like this. […] Give this a listen as a priority. - Wonderbox Metal

The summation for the album requires that great phrase, “It’s all killer with no filler.” Spellcaster’s Night Hides The World delivers well-crafted and exceptionally entertaining “keep it true” melodic heavy metal. Quite recommended. - Danger Dog Music Reviews

In short, Night Hides the World is a fantastic record through and through, and is the best album to date by the criminally underappreciated Spellcaster. The biggest take-away from it is easily its vocals and guitar-work, both of which serve to fuse classic NWOBHM with an increased sense of urgency. - Matt Mills, The National Student