Mystic Circle – Kriegsgötter MMXXV
Release Date: 6th June 2025
Label: ROAR
Bandcamp
Genre: Black Metal
FFO: Mystic Circle
Review By: Paul Cairney
25 years ago, German black metal band Mystic Circle released Kriegsgötter II, a 5 track EP of cover tracks and the odd self-written one. Fast-forward 25 years, and the band have decided to release Kriegsgötter MMXXV, featuring the same 5 tracks, with 3 extra tracks for your listening pleasure.
The question is why?
I dare say the band have a bit of history. Their first full-length was released in 1996, so we are not talking about a new band. The fact is, Kriegsgötter II is utterly uninspiring. It is insipid, it has a seriously irritating vocal performance from Beelzebub, it is, in fact, dull.
So, what of the 3 additional ‘new’ tracks. The 1st new cover is ‘Cry Little Sister’, the theme from The Lost Boys. It is nothing short of an abomination, taking all the emotion out of the song and replacing it with what almost comes across as a deliberate destruction of the track.
‘Afraid to Shoot Strangers’, the Iron Maiden song, is the 2nd newer track. This is better, the female vocals from Sarah Jezebel Deva give it an unexpected quality. Shorn of her vocals, we would be, once again, be left with a shoddy cover. It is, listenable, if not a patch on the original.
The final new track is ‘Death Metal’, a cover of the Possessed song. This is another stronger track, giving the album a brief ‘fuck you’ moment that is all too rare.
If you are a Mystic Circle aficionado, this will be for you. If you are not, you will be seriously underwhelmed. You will find the vocals lacking, and you will laugh at what to all purposes is a band doing little for your money.
(1.5 / 5)
