Review | Mystic Prophecy – Hellriot

Rock Of Angels Records

Music does not have to be complicated. If you have been following the career of German metal merchants Mystic Prophecy and especially that of singer and founding member R.D. Liapakis, I suppose you should be familiar with his musical recipe. The man is metal through and through and the 12^th record (!) of Mystic Prophecy leaves no room for any doubt or speculation.

METAL ALL THE WAY!

It is metal all the way beginning with the fierce title track and ending with ,,World On Fire’’. R.D. and his four compatriots fire relentless songs at us, equipped with fierce riffs, forceful rhythms, scorching solos, and aggressive vocals. On predecessor ‘Metal Division’ (released in early 2020) the band had put a bit more melody in their songs. That seemed to have worked as the formula on ‘Hellriot’ is basically the same. Although I have the feeling that ‘Hellriot’ is a bit more aggressive in its entirety. Produced by R.D. Liapakis himself critics might state that Mystic Prophecy has a bit of a one-dimensional approach but I disagree with that.

(CO-)DEFENDERS OF METAL

Mystic Prophecy is, just like groups as Primal Fear and even the mighty Judas Priest, a formation that stands for something. They are (co-)defenders of metal and proud of it. It shines through in their music, in their cover design and their attitude. And it turns out that with this approach and self-belief you can built up a long and lasting career. Just stick to your guns and do not do anything uncharacteristic. A bit more variety is certainly allowed and applied but their main style has stayed intact all these years and it has paid off. Fans of unrelentless heavy and power metal cannot really afford to miss out on ‘Hellriot’!

Release date: 19 May 2023