Written by [85/100] Exo666
Tuesday, 14 November 2006
Mystica - Carol Anne
MCD2006 - Painkiller Records
Mystica's newest effort is the MCD 'Carol Anne' - a collection of
overwhelmingly solid metal, even though they've shifted a bit in style since
their 'Human Mutants' album. The blackmetal component has been reduced
somewhat, instead, there's an intense blend of melodic death/thrash to be
found. With a rather massive and 'downtuned' sound, the songs impose a
strong impression on the listener. Still, the band mostly seems to aim for a
fast, melodic style; when a chunky break does pop up, the weight of the
riffs is crushing (plus, it's great to hear the bass so brutally
foregrounded at times). I was enraptured by the vocals on the previous
release, and apart from the title track which wasn't able to fully convince
me on that part, the singer again delivers magnificent work. The
scream/grunt combination on "Alone In The Dark" is entirely convincing once
more, the same can be said about the clean vocals in, let's say, "Waiting
For The Reaper". 'Human Mutants' was a step forward from 'Blinded By My
Blood', and this release can surely be considered as the next step. Not only
forward, also a tad sideward, genre-wise. Great stuff!
85/100
www.painkiller.be -
www.mystica-online.com
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