Mystic Circle – Erzdämon

Label: Fireflash Records    Release date: 17 March 2023

The German Extreme-Metallers Mystic Circle returned in 2022 with their self-titled studio-album and marking a furious return, which even made them enter the offical German album charts – yes, those which are mostly Schlager stuff – on a sensational #78. The inspiration kept flowing and the two main members Beelzebub and A. Blackwar created nine new tracks for their ninth studio album “Erzdämon” (in English: archdemon). It’s a good mix of epic Black Metal and classic Symphonic Metal, which reminds me on occasion of early Cradle of Filth. The band describes it as a mixture of their classics “Drachenblut” and “Infernal Satanic Verses” as well as their latest “Mystic Circle”.

I still wonder, though, why they chose the German title “Erzdämon”  and then still keep the lyrics of the title track in English? Would have been nice to use their mother tongue as well, maybe an idea for a bonus track sometimes somewhere?

Summing up, a good album in my opinion, although I cannot quite find the major differences to genre colleagues.

Tracklist:

1 Erzdämon (Part 1)
2 From Hell
3 Unholy Trinity
4 The Scarecrow
5 Asmodeus And The Temple Of God
6 Welcome To The Midnight Mass
7 The Mothman
8 Skinwalker
9 The Princess Of The Deadly Sins (Erzdämon Part 2)

Artwork: Rafael Tavares
Production: Nils Lesser

Bandwebsite