If someone would start a competition to point out the most evil and grim avantgarde Black Metal band of all time, Mysticum would be one of the top favourites to win the price. I mean, these guys were signed by the mighty father of all Norwegian vampires, Mr. Euronymous, himself, on Deathlike Silence Records. Who of those wanna-be-evil-worshippers of today is able to claim something just close to this? Secondly, the sound on their debut “In the Streams of Inferno” is even more high-pitched and invidious than the guitar-razorblades on “Nattens Madrigal”. Thirdly, these guys support the “Never stop the madness”-campaign which supports the use (or abuse, as you like) of hard drugs. Shall I go on? No, I think we can all agree, regardless how much of this might be slapstick, “In the Streams of Inferno” is a damn cult release.
Back in 1995 the psychos around vocalist and guitarist Prime Evil were the first to combine ingredients of harsh, cold and merciless Industrial (mainly digital drums and various samples) with the sharp and ugly sound of True Norwegian Black Metal. If you take in consideration that this is the one and only official album till today, you get an idea of how intense the material must be, as the band was able to influence a whole generation of angry avantgarde-metal musicians just with one output. Soon after, the fruits of this unholy motherhood could be tasted on masterpieces like “666 International” or “With no Human Intervention”.
Today, more than one decade after the release, it is hard to analyse this album. With an unemotional and sober approach one has to come to the conclusion, that this is crap and not worth one penny. The sound is rather dilettantish, the electronic drums are blustering without any kind of creativity and the keyboards annoy with their common tone and melody themes.
On the other hand, and now we leave the spheres of rational reception, the atmosphere on “In the Streams of Inferno” is simply magic. The artistic coolness of Mysticum combined with the rather evil and possessed vocals, spreads a poisoned spirit, which is in these times, where extreme metal has become nothing more than cheap mental fast food, a welcome revelation of the sick and poisoned genesis of Norwegian Black Metal. Myticum’s music should be hence labelled and evaluated as a relict of music history. A metal record which is old fashioned, musically unspectacular and trashy, but in the same time represents a bridge between two important evolutionary stages of extreme metal.
-Polygon
VITALS:
Release: 1996
Label: Full Moon Records
Avantgenre: Digital Extreme Inferno Metal
Duration: 36:35
Origin: Norway
Official site: http://www.myspace.com/mysticum
Review online since: 07.12.2007 / 14:56:08
TRACKLIST:
01 – Industries Of Inferno
02 – The Rest
03 – Let The Kingdom Come
04 – Wintermass
05 – Crypt Of Fear
06 – In Your Grave
07 – Where The Raven Flies
08 – In The Last Of The Ruins We
Search For A New Planet
Leave a Reply