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Mystic Prophecy > Killhammer > Reviews > Andromeda_Unchained
Mystic Prophecy - Killhammer

Dullhammer - 57%

Andromeda_Unchained, November 21st, 2013

Mystic Prophecy have been slugging it out for years now, and I’m one of the guys who preferred their output prior to the exodus of everyman Gus G. In saying that though, I can certainly appreciate the quality of their last few releases, and above all appreciate their no compromising attitude to putting out their brand of down and dirty, German power metal.

Unfortunately I’d have to say Killhammer is the weakest Mystic Prophecy album I’ve heard to date. Some of this is down to R.D. Liapakis’ vocals, and if I’m being completely honest I never found him that impressive of a singer to begin with. His vocal lines here are decidedly sweaty and middling, failing to inspire or beg for a sing-along, and his husky delivery grates more than anything these days.

Luckily the guitars are still killer, and really the only reason I ever went to Mystic Prophecy for anything in the first place. Tracks like “Kill The Beast” and “Armies Of Hell” house those pummelling, German style heavy metal riffs which are hard not to head-bang along with. The lead guitars have certainly increased in quality since I last remember too, and I’d say that aspect of the sound was at least on par with the Gus days.

The fact of the matter here though, is that there just isn’t anything like “Burning Bridges”, “Calling From Hell” or even “Master Of Sins”. Despite the album housing some enjoyable riffs, for the most part everything on offer here pales in comparison to prior output. There’s a lot more in the way of mid-paced material, and it makes songs like the title track and “Hate Black” a chore to sit through at times. The performances in themselves are decent enough, particularly the guitars as mentioned, but the material just isn’t all that great.

On the whole, I was expecting an album entitled Killhammer to be a little more killing. This is solid enough, and die-hard fans of the band will no doubt find a lot to love, but those looking for an intense, catchy, and most importantly heavy release might be best off looking elsewhere, or towards the band’s prior output. It’s a shame to have come down hard on a band I’ve supported for years, but Mystic Prophecy can’t quite cut it here.

Originally written for http://www.metal-observer.com