MYSTIC PROPHECY
“Hellriot”
Album Review by Iron Mathew

10/10

Mystic Prophecy are a heavy metal band from Germany formed in 2000, releasing twelve albums across their twenty plus year career. The bands most recent release ‘Metal Division’ displayed a much heavier feel than previous albums – a feel Mystic Prophecy have maintained with their latest album ‘Hellriot’, released in 2023.

Blending the muscular style of American power metal with their Germanic metal roots, Mystic Prophecy are once again delivering an Album Of The Year contender! Eleven songs over a crushing forty minutes show the band at their devastating best – the title song ‘Hellriot’ opening the album in a blaze of thunder! And incorporating the line “screaming for vengeance, the number of the beast” into the songs lyrics, Mystic Prophecy name two of the most influential heavy metal albums ever – both released over forty years ago in 1982! But back to ‘Hellriot’ (the song), a searing metaller with enough electrical energy to serve the national power grid for decades! And after such a barnstorming opener, the band opt for the power driven mighty foot stomp of ‘Unholy Hell’, creating seismic events all over the world. The band are in devastating form, crushing everything in sight, taking no prisoners, and banging heads as hard as fucking possible!

A blistering opening one-two soon becomes a one-two-three with the red hot gallop of traditional metaller ‘Demons Of The Night’, planting one foot firmly on the monitor. Mystic Prophecy are metal through and through, delivering melodic heavy metal with total aplomb, ‘Demons Of The Night’ a prime example. And to prove how metal they are, the band launch a sonic assault of pure heavy metal – ‘Metal Attack’ marching boldly into sight, head held high, stomping the ground and causing massive cracks to appear. As I mentioned earlier, the band are in devastating mood, creating a metal storm that’s simply terrific! Introducing a level of menace not heard previously, ‘Paranoia’ is a weighty doom laden come power metal swagger with a frightening ambience that may scare a few listeners and send them diving for cover! There’s nothing subtle about the energy and oomph levels, simply astounding!

And with an incredible surge of pace and power, Mystic Prophecy lurch forth with the energy fuelled ‘Revenge And Fire’, with a fabulous sing a long style chorus. An in concert crowd are gonna love this one, all singing along at the tops of their voices – what a moment that’s gonna be! The German outfit making sure their fans are the happiest they can be! And without pausing for a breath, the album marches on with the thundering ‘Rising With The Storm’, punching hard and kicking harder. The intensity since the album began has been phenomenal, the band blending melodious intent with crushing heaviness to create a breath taking listening experience. Simply amazing stuff – amazing stuff that’s not over yet! Not by a long shot! ‘Hellriot’ (the album) entering the realm of doom laden heavy metal to deliver the heaviest, most emphatic song heard so far – ‘Road To Babylon’ a march of mild menace and aggression blended with Mystic Prophecy’s unique flair for injecting maximum melodious intent. What a song! What an album! What a band!

Blazing pace and power set ‘Azrael’ alight, the band roaring their loudest since the album began. The emphatic oomph is epic edged, ‘Azrael’ screaming with energy, pounding the ground with brute force and shaking buildings to their foundations! Every song on offer clocks in at under five minutes in length, many under three! Which makes for a swift and quick moving album, leaving absolutely no time to breathe – Mystic Prophecy taking listeners breaths away with absolute ease. And not giving them back! Not until the end of the album anyway – ‘Cross The Line’ coming to life and pulsating just like the recurrent vibratory movement of the heart and pulse. Or in other words, “heart pounding” – ‘Cross The Line’ a barnstorming barrage of power driven and highly melodic heavy metal. And all too soon the final song comes riding over the horizon, ‘World On Fire’ seemingly a prophetic title for what the band are gonna do with their latest release – set the world on fire! Mystic Prophecy are at their most melodious here, delivering a show stopping final hurrah of the finest fettle.

Overall, a barnstorming barrage of infectious, power driven heavy metal full of energy and oomph.

TRACKLIST

Hellriot
Unholy Hell
Demons Of The Night
Metal Attack
Paranoia
Revenge And Fire
Rising With The Storm
Road To Babylon
Azrael
Cross The Line
World On Fire

http://www.mysticprophecy.net/
https://www.facebook.com/mysticprophecy/

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