MYSTIC PROPHECY - "Savage Souls"
(Massacre Records, 2006)
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MYSTIC PROPHECY - "Savage Souls"
(Massacre Records, 2006) |
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Massacre Records Rauheckstr. 10 D-74232 Abstatt Germany Phone: +49-7062-95540 Fax: +49-7062-64375 www.massacre-records.com |
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Line-Up: R.D. Liapakis – Vocals Markus Pohl - Guitars Martin Grimm - Guitars Martin Albrecht - Bass Matthias Straub - Drums |
CAT. NUMBER: MAS-CD 0500 RUNNING TIME: 60 minutes MUSIC STYLE: Dark Heavy Power Metal HOMECOUNTRY: Germany/Greece BARCODE: 4028466105004 RELEASE DATE: February, 24th 2006 |
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| German power metal – there are many bands that
fit into this category, but most of them follow the paths of the
local big names of the scene: Helloween, Gamma Ray, Running Wild,
and maybe Grave Digger or the legendary Accept. MYSTIC PROPHECY
though have been a band with a “little difference” right from the
start. The three albums by the band so far - „Vengeance“ (2002),
„Regressus“ (2003) and „Never-Ending“ (2004), also included some
German metal influences but ar way more orientated towards an
international sound. US power metal bands like Iced Earth can be
named as a comparison. This was a wise decision by the band who have
in the meantime established an almost unique sound and category
which is consequently followed on “Savage Souls”.
„We have kept our roots and everybody that heard the album yet,
recognizes it as MYSTIC PROPHECY immediatelly”, says the outstanding
Greek vocalist R.D. „Lia“ Liapakis with strong and well deserved
confidence, “Savage Souls” has a great range of varieties, sounds
updated and the songs are all darker and more aggressive. We still
have a melodic edge though without being cheesy at all, all in all
we are still real METAL!”.
The fact that MYSTIC PROPHECY were able to establish and even
improve their level is not the most usually thing – facing the fact
that there was a lot of stress going on in the last months:
guitarist Gus G. left Lia and the others some time ago to
concentrate on his other band Firewind. Although the split was done
in a friendly and both sided manner it was not eay to find a
replacement. But MYSTIC PROPHECY never hesitated for a second and
chose a new double-axe department: the two new guitarists are Markus
Pohl (known from Symphorce; and longer part of the live line-up of
MYSTIC PROPHECY) and Martin Grimm (Headstone Epitaph). In addition
drummer Dennis Ekdahl was more and more busy with his other band
Raise Hell and also left. New drummer is Matthias Straub from Sacred
Steel after Klaus Sperling from My Darkest Hate was a member of the
band for a while. The album was recorded and mastered at „Music
Factory Studio“ by Lia while the excellent mix was done by Fredrik
Nordstrцm, whose Fredman-Studio is one of the top studios in Europe
for years now. “We wanted to try something new” Lia explains, “I
think the result is a very good bridge between classical stuff and
modern metal, like Nevermore play these days”. The songs on the
album were written by the complete band this time. It is great to
see, how well Markus Pohl and Martin Grimm have been involved in the
band. “Both know right from the start how MYSTIC PROPHECY have to
sound, so they played the perfect way and our special flair
remained” says Lia proudly after the confusions in the line up left
their marks. “Savage Souls turned out a little
more depressive, as we had quite a lot of stress and problems with
the many line-up changes. But the hard work paid off: the band never
sounded that heavy and aggressive. Accordingly the lyrics don’t
follow a concept as the preivous albums but refer to environment,
polictics and religion – and surely a lot of personal stuff, which
needs to be refelcted when things don’t turn our that well”.
The things will turn very well again at the latest when “Savage
Souls” is released! Even strict journalists or the writers with the
“I heard this all before”-attitude will have to accept one fact:
MYSTIC PROPHECY are one of the leading German , if not European,
bands in their genre and will break through now with their fourth
album.
“Savage Souls” is a definite highlight! Boris Kaiser (Rock Hard) 
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