Here comes Mystical Death’s debut album.
Following a debut EP in 2024 – the year the band was formed – the group, consisting of Mystic (composition/all instruments), David Diefenderfer (vocals), and Vixi Fox (clean vocals), signed with Rottweiler Records and released Across.
They kick things off strong with Apophenia, the opening track that asserts both its intensity and complexity, featuring technical and furious riffs at a brisk pace, allowing David to scream his heart out – but note also the Progressive touch that lets the strange break incorporate keyboards and staccato patterns before picking up the pace again. Laniakea begins with dark and unsettling tones, but the distortion quickly takes over, returning to technical and dissonant Death Metal, at least until the Jazz-infused break that ultimately colors the rest of the track, giving it its peculiar uniqueness. The finale drags on before giving way to Inundant which develops heavy sounds even during its quiet moments, but the band picks up the pace again to keep pounding us before Lacerate takes its place, once again combining rage with masterful instrumental control at every turn. Empathy offers us a brief respite with a slow, gentle introduction before letting loose and striking with full force without neglecting its polished side, notably highlighting the saxophone, and then Kurtosis strikes in turn with a choppy rhythm section. We find ourselves swept away by the sound without really understanding what’s happening, but the music flows naturally into Across, a fierce title track where Vixi Fox makes her first appearance with her intense, clean vocals, though the band also maintains its devastating approach and screams to emphasize the striking contrast before Thalassa floods us with dissonance, letting the two voices call and respond once more. The album concludes with two instrumental tracks: Voyagers, in which the composer layers a rocket launch sample with an ethereal yet still dense sound before the track takes flight on its own, and Sanctus, a sort of majestic orchestral piece that eventually strips itself bare to bring this chapter to a close.
There’s no doubt that Mystical Death will make a name for itself! Across is such a complex album! While violence takes center stage, the artist’s extreme technical skill and the diversity offered by the ten tracks are also worth noting!
75/100
