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Mystic Prophecy > Killhammer > Reviews > Felix 1666
Mystic Prophecy - Killhammer

FireBloodHellBeastKill - 70%

Felix 1666, November 18th, 2014
Written based on this version: 2013, CD, Massacre Records

I know that it´s easy to bash bands such as Mystic Prophecy due to their stereotype lyrics, the striking cover artworks and the more or less light-headed album titles. Admittedly, they are painfully true to the metal cliches and the corny song titles have been heard a thousand times before. As a consequence, this means that the band offers once again an overdose of silly titles, but "Children of the Damned" takes the cake. Thank God, "The Number of the Beast" is missing. Of course, it is almost superfluous to mention, but suitable heavy metal lyrics require more than the unending combination of the relevant buzzwords. (The same goes for intelligent review headlines, but I think that the creators of "Killhammer" will like this one...)

In case of Mystic Prophecy, the lyrics definitely leave significant room for optimization. But who cares? The crucial thing is naturally the music itself. With a view to their previous efforts, the compositions are based on the motto "more of the same". The steadfast five-piece does not move forward in a new direction. On a positive note, the members of Mystic Prophecy prove themselves as reliable partner for their followers. Therefore, they present ten new heavy / power metal compositions which are equipped with a polished yet heavy and professional sound. Unfortunately, the album also includes an Ozzy cover. It goes without saying that this is one of the cover versions nobody ever asked for. But let´s focus on their self-written material which starts with the powerful and representative title track. Pure heavy metal riffing is slowly but surely leading to a simple yet concise chorus. This may not sound very exceptional. Nevertheless, a fully convincing start and a kind of statement at the same time: hey dude, you are listening to Mystic Prophecy and you get exactly what you have expected.

Therefore, it is no wonder that the majority of the songs follows a similar line. Only a few tracks sound a bit more melodic. In contrast to that, "Armies of Hell" can be seen as the legitimate successor of rapid songs like "Evil Empires", their thrashy highlight from "Savage Souls". Consequently the main characteristics of the song are its up-tempo parts and the higher dose of aggression. (As a marginal note, the bridge of this fiery eruption reminds me strongly of the bridge of Testament´s "More than Meets the Eye". Well, let´s say this is pure coincidence...) However, "Armies of Hell" and the similar, intensely sounding "300 in Blood" are among the best songs of the album. This applies to "Kill the Beast" and "Hate Black" as well. The first one surprises with more or less ambitious lyrics, because the band makes a political statement in its very own way ("killing bastard dead Marxist"). The latter provides a flattening riffing in combination with a discreet oriental melody.

One may regret that this output does not have any dirty underground tendencies. But don´t be concerned. That does not mean that it sounds commercial or light. It´s a collection of typical, mostly vigorous heavy metal tracks, some of them are good, some of them are fairly unobtrusive. Conversative song structures meet a modern production. The formula of Mystic Prophecy is not as mystic as it seems.