Hexenbrand 1486

Hexenbrand 1486 is the tenth full-length album from Germany's Mystic Circle, a band that plays heavy and melodic black/death metal. If anything, this album amps up both the heaviness and the melody with even more tortured vocals and blasting beats along with female vocals and strategically placed synths. The album deals with religious hypocrisy and persecution of alleged witches in the late Middle Ages and between the lyrics and spoken word passages, it is easy to get sucked into the story Mystic Circle is telling. Blazing black/death anthems like "Luciferian" and "Boogeyman" will leave you breathless with their speed and ferocity, while the synthwave breakdown in "Blutschande Unzucht Sodomie" will creep you out. Mystic Circle do a fine job of weaving together history and horror on Hexenbrand 1486 and provide a musical backdrop that adds depth and emotion yet remains firmly heavy metal. An excellent release from this veteran band.