Second release of the year for Mystic Circle.
After giving us a new version of their album Kriegsgötter in the middle of the year, A. Blackwar (guitar/drums/keyboards, Mord, NG, ex-Zorn…) and Graf von Beelzebub (vocals/bass/guitar/keyboards, ex-Crematory) unveil Hexenbrand 1486, their eleventh album, to close out 2025 with RPM ROAR.
The album begins with an eerie sample on Luciferian, followed by rather mysterious sounds, then the vocals make the mix much more aggressive, as does the appearance of effective Old School blast beats. The orchestrations and melodies make the track quite impressive, even offering a few melancholic touches, particularly on the soothing break before the return of darkness that leads to The Scarlet Queen of Harlots and its scathing harmonics. The vocals are also more visceral on this track, creating a contrast with the keyboards and Sarah Jezebel Deva’s choirs, then the final gently leads us to Boogeyman, who threatens us before letting the sound wash over us, mixing violent elements and massive samples between two heavy lulls. The track passes fairly quickly, but In the Sign of the Goat quickly takes over with a fairly heavy sound where the vocalist is supported by an enchanting female voice that responds to him and brings a rather theatrical dimension, compared to the moments of raw fury. Ghost of Whitechapel follows with a touch of initial anxiety, then the vocalist tells us his macabre story with haunting melodies, supported by keyboards and other harmonics, before giving way to Institoris (Heinrich Kramer), a new occult cultural reference. The vocal sample sums up his message, then The Bible of the Witch Chase draws us into this march shrouded in mystery and rage, but also offers a more plaintive voice to temper the wave of darkness. We continue with the delicate Blutschande Unzucht Sodomie, which offers us a moment of respite at the beginning, but which is quickly corrupted by violence and darkness, becoming even heavier on the chorus, but allowing us to catch our breath in the middle before picking up again towards a melodious final. The end of the album takes shape with the brutal Dance on the Wings of Black Magic, which is generally quite violent, but also allows itself a few softer flights of fancy from time to time, accompanied by rather intoxicating choirs, then Zeugnis der Verachtung marks the end of this new chapter with a final melody and a few words in German.
Blasphemy and mysticism have once again come together to give Mystic Circle the necessary occult power, forging a new postulate of darkness and violence with Hexenbrand 1486. A real gem to be savored without moderation.
95/100
