ALBUM REVIEW: Mystifier – Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia

Here I review the new album from legendary Extreme Metal band MYSTIFIER which is out on March 8th via Season Of Mist Records!

1. Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia begins with eerie ambience and spoken word samples that sound terrifying. Slow tempo drums bring in the full band with grisly and atmospheric guitar riffs, filled with dismally gloomy melancholy. The song dissipates into doomy soundscapes of softer guitars, pounding drums and gruesome vocal growls, there is a strange sense of progression in the music that is really fascinating. The track picks up nicely into some decimating grooves, clearly this album is going to work well as an entire piece. This opening song was epic, with a similar vibe to more recent Rotting Christ material certainly present.
2. Weighing Heart Ceremony starts off with some gorgeous bass work, filled with rich melody and skilful playing. Guitar and drums soon pulsate into existence along with the snarled vocals, hauntingly dark in sound before we are thrown into the first full on assaulting Black Metal sections of the song. Whiplash riffs, hammering drums and demonic vocals are all used in unison to create a grim attack while balanced with some softer, more experimental sections. The guitar solo was soulfully melodic and an excellent addition to the song. Another incredibly strong track.
3. Witching Lycanthropic Moon follows up with more creepy sample use, adding to the odd nature of the release. Spectral, snarled vocals over the synths certainly further this strange piece. Gloriously built in instrumentals with punchy drums, grooving bass and searing guitars grow into a progressive and intellectually written piece with both primal and also very modernist textures to the sound. The old school NWOBHM style riffs that make an appearance quite prevalently are incredibly, very catchy stuff. This song reminded me a lot of Master’s Hammer which is certainly not a bad thing. Great work.
4. Akhenaton (Son Mighty Sun) fires in with blasting drums and some of the most ferocious riffing up to this point. Grisly and primal aggression takes the foreground on this song which goes back to the bands earlier sounds. Grunted vocals over blistering instrumentals conjures up a harshly hellish barrage of truly amazing Extreme Metal that is invasively dark, especially with the synth blasts that really elevate the attacks of tormenting visions. This song was gruesomely tasteful and totally brilliant, balancing melody with utter fury.
5. Six Towers of Belial’s Path blasts away from the onset with grooving riffs that are so excellently written. This is coupled with catchy drum hooks and some really killer old school vocals. The blindingly melodic guitar leads suit the catatonic punchiness of the piece that is brutally in-your-face but also written with precision, gorgeously. I genuinely believe this is some of the most impressive Mystifier music from a songwriting perspective since their first album, certainly showcasing their skills brilliantly.
6. Demoler las Torres del Cielo (en nombre del Diablo) creeps in with more strange vocals over the crawling instrumentals, a truly nightmarish soundscape is generated from this harsh atmosphere. The slow tempo guitars and slamming drums build nicely into upbeat assaults that are filled with a devastating bite to them. Thrashing guitars and snapping drums are very impactful, laying a perfect foundation to the evil vocals. Some truly impressive riffs on this one especially. Wonderful.
7. Soultrap Sorcery of Vengeance slowly pulses out old school grooves. Guttural growls fade in over the odious guitars that are mesmerising, this all suddenly drops into hammering drums and blistering riffs with punchy grunts over the top. The intense pace of the track and ferocity of the songwriting is piercingly dark with an unrelenting force behind it but some absolutely stunning melodic touches too. The spoken word sections sound disorienting before leading into some glorious guitar solo work. A very well balanced and contrasted piece of extremity.
8. (Introcucione d’la Melodia Mortuoria) Thanatopraxy slows things down with tranquil acoustic guitars and beautifully played synths. The drums very slowly adding a tribal sound to the piece. Out of nowhere we are thrown into sleazy old school riffing and punchy drum fills that sound so killer. With some gnarly Death Metal sections added for some obliterating punch this song has it all. A truly epic 80s Extreme Metal soundtrack to chaos mixed with some Inquisition style grooving hooks. Truly astounding.
9. Al Nakba (666 days of War) utilises gunshot and air-raid siren sampling to add a soundscape of warfare to the song, certainly an effective beginning. After this goes on for a little while we are hurled into bestial assaults of truly crushing Blackened Death Metal with growled vocals and barrages of tremolo picking with well paced blasting drums underneath. Totally tormenting and truly a great encapsulation of the Extreme Metal ethos, especially with the growling chants that have previously occurred on this record. The breakdown was a really unexpected but quite cool touch. Fantastic!
10. Chiesa dei Bambini Molestati is the final piece to this album, I am sure it will be as unpredictable as the other songs have been on the most part. Setting in with killer drum fills that transcend into some nice technical guitar work before finally ripping into verses of frenzied Black Metal. The disembodied yells and growls of the vocalist over melodic guitars and pummelling drums sounds killer, this final song really takes you on a journey through different soundscapes, clearly trying to show all of the diversity Mystifier are capable. There is some insanely good lead guitar work on this song too. Excellently done, this piece closes the album in true style.

This new album from Mystifier is experimental, brutal and filled with a conceptual sense of integrity that is gripping throughout. While in parts the album had some jarring pace changes, I think that can also be added to the volatility that made it so exciting. Overall, this was another great release from such an important band in Extreme Metal. -8/10