Messticator loves its freedom.
Now signed to Testimony Records, the band led by Marvin Brühl (guitar, Embers of Flesh), Maik Weinhardt (drums, I the Intruder), Thomas Thede (vocals, Embers of Flesh, ex-Throbbing Pain) and Thorben “Tobbo” Lohmann (bass) is ready to release its second album, Total Mastery.
We kick things off with The Pit Awaits…, an introduction that begins with a sampled demonic voice, but quickly continues with a simple yet catchy riff that clearly serves as an appetizer before the onslaught that is …The Pitslayer, an angry composition that doesn’t wait a single second to trample us at a good pace. The solid vocals follow and perfectly complement the onslaught and its thrash-infused harmonics, then we enjoy a few seconds of respite before moving on to High Ground, where the Death Metal roots are more present than ever, even reminiscent of old school. The catchy, jerky style is perfect for piercing leads, but still focuses on acceleration and heaviness, while One-Shot-Kill offers a brutal but very catchy groove that will undoubtedly be a favorite among headbangers, adding a touch of screaming guitars. Another moment of respite comes with the introduction of Ruins of Reason, which bursts into flames without warning and sweeps us away in a wave of pure rage with vindictive melodies, but which also knows how to handle sharp leads to perfection, just like on Bloodsport, which uses similar patterns and makes us want to keep banging our heads. We find the perfect compromise between the band’s two roots in this block of pure violence, while Mass Human Extinction clearly leans more towards a numbing heaviness while allowing for much faster parts, but Skeletal Thorns quickly regains its jerky fury within finely crafted and abrasive parts. The finale takes advantage of a break to explode in turn and join the menacing but also imposing Deathtouch and its infernal rhythm, which lasts throughout its six minutes without giving us more respite than necessary between two waves of violence, with an interesting solo towards the end. We move on to The Tyrant’s Scepter, the first track to be unveiled, which features the most changes in rhythm and haunting harmonics, but consequently the most surprises, especially in terms of melodies, then the band finishes us off with Cougar Claws (Return of the Leathermilf), where the riffs sometimes become more technical while remaining catchy from start to finish.
Messticator hits hard with their second album! While the band already had a distinctive sound, albeit infused with two highly codified genres, Total Mastery is a real feat, as catchy as it is well thought out, sweeping us up in its tornado of violence from start to finish!
90/100