Hell Did Freeze Over

Here’s a conundrum for you: what would have happened if Mystic Charm had endured beyond the few years they were together and released a full-length follow-up to the not quite legendary but definitely overlooked Shadows of the Unknown? Would death doom have taken a different route, not so much in the direction of gothic drama but into the murky pits of Celtic Frost instead? Would Rini Lipman have become a harsh vocal postergirl? All these points are moot, because Mystic Charm broke up in 1995 and surfaced only briefly for a final EP with a different singer in 2000. And now, that EP is reissued with Lipman’s vocals added, some titles changed, plus the older Lost Empire sessions (of which only 2 out of 5 tracks were previously released) tacked on. With the band still inactive and the recent demo compilation in mind, Hell Did Freeze Over feels like a case of metal archaeology.

In musical terms, the 2 sides of this release differ a little, with the more recent tracks coming first and sounding more dynamic, not to mention placing the thick horrified snarls at the front of the mix. However, both recordings revel in goopy, dripping guitar tones and some rather physical percussive shifts that include blastbeats on the Lost Empire side and double bass in a number of places. Prepare to be reminded of Sodom at grinding mid-pace as much as the slow crush of Winter or Trouble, the latter perhaps the most comparable classic doom reference. Strikingly, Hell Did Freeze Over has retained its simplicity and brutality, which sets it apart from most trends of extreme metal both in the ‘90s and in the present day. Personal Records may not be able to address Mystic Charm’s neglected position in metal history, but this new version certainly deserves its fair share of attention.


Originally written for Metalegion #12 - www.metalegion.com