Profanus

Here I have my review of an offering called "Profanus". This record is the fourth full-length studio album released by Brazil's Mystifier last 2001 under Encore Records. This coming November 24th of 2017, the album will be re-issued by Vic Records with bonus tracks of Mystifier's "Wicca", and "Göetia" albums. I first heard of this band way back 2010, as I stumbled upon their sophomore full-length offering "Göetia". I dig that album a lot because of its dark and clandestine vibe, and its raw unrelenting assault on the listeners' ears. "Profanus", however, falls short in both those categories.

Now I actually can stand listening to "Profanus", but it just doesn't have the right amount of elements that made me admire Mystifier's first three studio releases and early demos. This album, though strongly in the black and death metal rank, holds several good classic heavy metal touches and thrash fragments. It has a number of decent thrash rhythm riffs and melodic traditional metal leads, and the album's tunefulness even has those Iron Maiden-influenced riffs thrown into the mix. Even the guitar solos are acceptable due to its dusky and ditty dispatch.

The bass is pretty clear on the album, no question to that. We can also observe that there are numerous fair amounts of blast beats present in each song in here. I also would like to praise that vocal delivery which is a good mixture of death metal growls and high pitched black metal screams. Except for 'Beyond the Rivers of Hades' and 'Superstitious Predictions of Misfortune', as those two has a clear power metal and dingy pitch vocal parts. But even those two tracks are both satisfying and entertaining.

We can also hear keyboards in certain sections of the offering. The keyboards provided are tolerable, but it lacks that dark and concealed feeling to it. The guitars, bass, drums, and the vocals are all okay for me. They pack enough force that catches the attention of the audiences. But the goth-sounding keyboard section is what doesn't really convince me about this release. I deem it weak, and it does not offer that level of spookiness that adds an atmospheric effect which you can find in early releases like "Wicca" and "Göetia". Those two mentioned records by the Mystifier have that eerie keyboard sections similar to Emperor’s "In the Nightside Eclipse".

If the band had stuck with their relentless and bleak music disposition, like what they had done with "Wicca" and "Göetia", this release might have been more influential and compelling. Again, I want to be clear that I am entertained by this offering. Unfortunately, it just doesn't give me that same inkling impact that Mystifier's old recordings did.

To end this review, Mystifier had come up with a fairly good record on "Profanus". Most of the instruments and elements in the album -- outside the keyboard part -- are appeasing and were well played and well performed. Loyal fans of the band can find this appealing, considering the catchy guitars, relevant drum blast beats, and suitable vocal haulage. Sad to say that for me, "Profanus" just isn't that imposing and striking as the band's past materials. Well, at least the keyboards here aren't as lame as Dimmu Borgir's keyboard playing, where they play just for the sake of inserting a keyboard section on their music.

Originally written for www.thepitofthedamned.com

It would not at all be misleading to accuse 'Profanus' of being a rock album in death/black metal clothing, but at the same time, with music of this quality, it could hardly be interpreted as an insult. While Mystifier's particular brand of theatrical black metal has been to some degree simplified and broadened on this record, it's an undeniably powerful musical force that uses its markedly more accessible style to its benefit. This is a poppy and rockish metal album, yes, but it seems much more like a perversion of rock music than vice versa. It's almost daring in how accessible it is; hell, not even a single song reaches the four minute mark, making all the material here perfectly ready for radio play in hell.

Now, while the songs are shorter and the melodies a bit more ear-friendly, Mystifier hasn't sacrificed any of the complexity that defines their music; if anything, they've amped it up considerably by packing the same amount of music into half the track length. There's a level of layering and careful structuring unprecedented in Mystifier's career until now, with each track maintaining a very unique identity. It's very catchy music; there's a lot of infectious guitar riffs and keyboard melodies that stick in your head for a long time after the CD's back in its case, and, as previously stated, much of the layering gives the music more of a radio-friendly sound than you'd expect. If you could imagine a Brazilian black/death band produced by a major pop engineer, you have a pretty good idea of what this sounds like.

That crystal clear production reveals music with an incredible attention to detail. The largely midpaced compositions of this release are packed with interlocking guitar and keyboard melodies, perpetually writhing under a nest of sneering, growling, hissing vocals, which continue Mystifier's proud legacy of surprising lyrical death and linguistic prowess (even if it's a bit awkward at points due to English as a second language). It seems that the band put away a lot of death and black metal albums and listened more to 'South Of Heaven', 'Sabbath Bloody Sabbath', and other similarly theatrical oldschool albums. It's not at all brutal or raw; you could easily say that this is black/death metal for those who enjoy traditional heavy, thrash, or power metal. It's something that everyone can appreciate, though, due to just how solid the writing is throughout. Even very short tracks like 'Supreme Power Of Suffering' feel very whole and carefully thought out. This could actually be compared to Cradle Of Filth on a lot of levels: it's an ultra-slick, almost too-produced form of its root style, but damn if it doesn't go down smoothly and full of some very engaging writing.

I can totally see why a lot of hardcore Mystifier fans disown this album. It's not nearly as 'artistic' an album as the previous releases. In fact, I'd be very willing to say that, as an important heavy metal album, 'Profanus' in no way stacks up against releases like 'The World Is So Good That He Who Made It Doesn't Live Here'. However, as far as just being an immensely LISTENABLE and enjoyable heavy metal album, there's not a lot out there that beats this. Call it musical junk food if you want, but I think it's pretty great: it's death/black metal with all the emphasis on the metal, and while I generally appreciate the opposite a great deal, it's at times nice to 'regress' a little bit and listen to an album that's simply fun and rocking.