Mystifier – Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia

Band: Mystifier
Title: Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia
Label: Season of Mist
Release date: 8 March 2019
Country: Brazil
Format reviewed: Crystal clear vinyl, limited to 300 copies worldwide

After 18 years since their last album, the legendary underground Brazilians MYSTIFIER released a brand new album. I’m sure that everybody who witnessed the early 90s music scene development and the heavy genre, does remember MYSTIFIER’s second opus “Göethia”. Moreover, originally it appeared on a split with another legendary black metal album – “Those of the Unlight” by the mighty MARDUK. Basically we haven’t heard anything new from the band since “Profanus”, released in 2001. Well, anyway the first decade has never been a good time for strong underground releases, and didn’t leave a solid mark on the metal scene. Now when the time is just right, MYSTIFIER return in ultra strong shape. “Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynateia” has been recorded on sessions in November-December 2017 and April-May 2018

I must admit I awaited eagerly this new album since its first announcement by the label. It was worthy. Old school AF, “Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia” delivers raw, uncompromising mix of black and death metal. The trio offers a 50 minutes pure underground dark metal album from the boiling cores of hell. Even only by looking on the cover artwork – “The Grey Eminence Master” by Paolo Girardi, one thing is clear – it is representing a formless mass of souls into an Eternal suffering in the name of the Lord with the horns. It is the HELL in its purest meaning.

With all lyrics and arrangements by Beelzeebubth himself, as well as produced by him, the record transmits all those dark moods and feelings into those 10 songs. What is worth to say here are all the ritualistic chants and motifs all along the record, which only enforce the feeling for underground tunnels, figures in black robes, burning candles and pentagram circles – typical representative here is the opener – the self-tittled track. Then comes “Weighing Heart Ceremony” with chopping death metal blasts, orgasmic chorus riff, underlined bass line and spitting hate black metal vocal. In general, I have to mention here about the overall diversity in all song structures. The album simply falls out of the typical death metal or black metal patterns, turning into very distinctive underground record.

It is worth mentioning the vocal guest appearance on the intro on “Witching Lycanthropic Moon” by Proscriptor McGovern from ABSU. It is another track into that ritualist mid tempo, “praising the moon to release inner monsters”. “Akhenaton – Son Mighty Sun” is a brutal track eagerly exploring the symphoic death black metal feel, an epic ode to the Sun God, born from a fallen star.  In the heavy weight of “Six Towers of Belial’s Path” the “Ancient Magic goes beyond good, goes beyond evil and it goes beyond…” “Demoler las Torres del Cielo (en nombre del Diablo)” is an intensive blasting song – a ritual of destruction of western capitalistic world. “Soultrap Sourcery of Vengeance” continues the old school black/death metal chopping with (again) intensity and shamanic chants, frantic solos and breakdowns. “(Introduccion d’la Melodia Mortuoria) Thanatopraxy”, “Al Nakba (666 days of war)” and the closer “Chiesa dei Bambini Molestati” just completes in an severe sick way of HELL old school representation in death and black chords, the rituals and the demonic chants of MYSTIFIER new album. 

Again I must point out the variety – all the drumming of Warmonger, the solid bass line Diego DeUrgden which can be easily spotted, and the raw deadly riffs of Beelzeebubth – everything turns “Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia” into an album which is going to be highly praised by the old school black/death metal worshipers. Of course SARCÓFAGO is needed as a mandatory name here. Probably POSSESSED, early SEPULTURA etc as well. Another thing which I need to point out here. All these chants and rituals + the greek lettering of the album – first thing that came on mind was ROTTING CHRIST. Also I felt some early NIGHTFALL, as well as SEPTICFLESH here and there.

However MYSTIFIER are doing their own read of the dark books. Band’s dark spell lives again, people. It’s old as the magic itself and it is burning with high flame. I do recommend “Protogoni Mavri Magiki Dynasteia”, especially to those who are daring to taste from the chalice of the trve old school metal. It is so important in 2019.  8/10 Count Vlad

 

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8/10 To Greatness and Glory!
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