Review by Vladimir on February 15, 2023.

Some people may have heard about a Belgian label called Medieval Prophecy Records, thanks to its former roster of well-known bands such as Evilfeast and Enthroned. Along comes a new release from an unknown Belgian black metal band Regnum Tenebrarum, part of the so called “Ancient Hounds Circle” along with Crypts Of Wallachia, Selenite Scrolls, Orkblut and Phlegethon's Majesty. Even though the band members are anonymous, the four aforementioned bands are consisted of some members of Regnum Tenebrarum’s current lineup, with four of them as members in Orkblut, three of them as members of Selenite Scrolls and two of them as members of Phlegethon's Majesty. It seems like a very small inner circle but nevertheless a devoted one. The topic of today’s review will be their seven track EP Légendes Noires, released on February 3rd 2023 via their label Medieval Prophecy Records on CD and 12” vinyl.

The EP starts with an atmospheric keyboard intro which sets up the cold and somewhat medieval mood which will be carried throughout the rest of the tracks. All tracks have a somewhat Mgła-like tremolo riffing and drumming similar to that of "Exercise In Futility", which often switches from fast to a slower mid-tempo rhythm. Apart from the intro, there are also two instrumental tracks, 'Interlude' with acoustic guitars and keyboards, and 'Dies Irae' with the famous opening words from the Latin poem and ambient sounds of rainfall and wolf howls. Although I have said that the EP has a Mgła feel to it, the part where I feel the need to draw the line between the two is the musical atmosphere, which in case of Regnum Tenebrarum is more medieval rather than nihilistic, with added keyboards and a rawer guitar sound. The sound production is quite solid, the guitars have a nice cold distortion which is on point with the riffs, although on some songs the drumming seems at times a bit off and sound as if it’s slowing down and out of tempo, and the echoing harsh vocals are pushed far back in the mix and aren’t as loud as they should be.

The overall EP gives a good glimpse of this band’s work which I believe will be carried on with their upcoming releases and I think that Regnum Tenebrarum would certainly be ideal for fans of modern black metal. Although this may be just the beginning, it is an ambitious start which shows a great deal of promise and I don’t see the reason why it shouldn’t go further. For those who are interested in giving this EP a listen, it is available on the Rites of Pestilence YouTube channel and you can purchase it on CD and 12” vinyl via Medieval Prophecy Record’s Big Cartel page. We don’t know if this album will be available on streaming platforms as well in the near future, but I think nothing would hurt to support an underground band the old-fashioned way.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on February 15, 2023.

Some people may have heard about a Belgian label called Medieval Prophecy Records, thanks to its former roster of well-known bands such as Evilfeast and Enthroned. Along comes a new release from an unknown Belgian black metal band Regnum Tenebrarum, part of the so called “Ancient Hounds Circle” along with Crypts Of Wallachia, Selenite Scrolls, Orkblut and Phlegethon's Majesty. Even though the band members are anonymous, the four aforementioned bands are consisted of some members of Regnum Tenebrarum’s current lineup, with four of them as members in Orkblut, three of them as members of Selenite Scrolls and two of them as members of Phlegethon's Majesty. It seems like a very small inner circle but nevertheless a devoted one. The topic of today’s review will be their seven track EP Légendes Noires, released on February 3rd 2023 via their label Medieval Prophecy Records on CD and 12” vinyl.

The EP starts with an atmospheric keyboard intro which sets up the cold and somewhat medieval mood which will be carried throughout the rest of the tracks. All tracks have a somewhat Mgła-like tremolo riffing and drumming similar to that of "Exercise In Futility", which often switches from fast to a slower mid-tempo rhythm. Apart from the intro, there are also two instrumental tracks, 'Interlude' with acoustic guitars and keyboards, and 'Dies Irae' with the famous opening words from the Latin poem and ambient sounds of rainfall and wolf howls. Although I have said that the EP has a Mgła feel to it, the part where I feel the need to draw the line between the two is the musical atmosphere, which in case of Regnum Tenebrarum is more medieval rather than nihilistic, with added keyboards and a rawer guitar sound. The sound production is quite solid, the guitars have a nice cold distortion which is on point with the riffs, although on some songs the drumming seems at times a bit off and sound as if it’s slowing down and out of tempo, and the echoing harsh vocals are pushed far back in the mix and aren’t as loud as they should be.

The overall EP gives a good glimpse of this band’s work which I believe will be carried on with their upcoming releases and I think that Regnum Tenebrarum would certainly be ideal for fans of modern black metal. Although this may be just the beginning, it is an ambitious start which shows a great deal of promise and I don’t see the reason why it shouldn’t go further. For those who are interested in giving this EP a listen, it is available on the Rites of Pestilence YouTube channel and you can purchase it on CD and 12” vinyl via Medieval Prophecy Record’s Big Cartel page. We don’t know if this album will be available on streaming platforms as well in the near future, but I think nothing would hurt to support an underground band the old-fashioned way.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 6, 2021.

I always liked Mystic Prophecy. Of course, they had the most clichéd lyrics of all the current 142,592 bands recorded in M-A, but so what? They had the heart in the right place, a very good singer blessed with a strong voice and made pure metal flowing out of the speakers, sometimes good, sometimes so-so, but always authentic. And then came Monuments Uncovered.

First: the songs replayed here are in no way "monuments", at least not in the metal cosmos in which I like to stay. I also don't give a shit whether these are good pop songs (or occasional rock songs) or not. Because the artistic intention behind this record remains completely obscure. For a good reason - there shouldn't have been any, here it should have been only about the attempt to earn a few Euros with minimal effort. But then one could at least have expected Mystic Prophecy to have added their own touch somewhere here. Maybe that is the case in one or the other solo, but no title is changed in its basic structure, is presented in another tempo or has any moment of surprise to offer. Uninspired and like slaves of their own disorientation the quintet drags itself through one inanity after the other. Lead vocalist Liapakis doesn't come into his own at all in the poppy realms and thus the band robs itself of its strongest weapon.

Liapakis doesn't sound corny, but without any charisma. His unexpected complete lack of expression is the perfect partner to the powerless performance of the instrumental fraction. Of course, this Lenny Kravitz junk, for example, has a few percent more fire than 'Because the Night' or 'I'm Still Standing' and there would have been little objection to a single cover of 'Space Lord' on a regular album. But this whole work of art bristles with embarrassment. One look at the front painting is enough to know that there must have been a collective blackout here. A more childish picture you really only rarely get to see. But maybe I don't understand and the cover is supposed to be the ultimate humiliation of Kim Wilde, who was very pretty 35 years ago?

So don’t expect a metallic frame, these songs haven’t been pushed out of their comfort zone – and the same must be said about the musicians who fulfil the compulsory task without energy or conviction. Even the only acceptable track, 'Space Lord', sounds much more expressive, much more dynamic and much more casual in the original version. And even if I don't believe it and don't recognize it, maybe the originals somehow have a soul, a spirit or something else to like them for. Mystic Prophecy have successfully levelled all this with their uniformly unambitious recording of their versions. Wise guys may now point out that the production of these alleged monuments is fine after all. How ridiculous! A production can do the following things: 1. make a good record even better, 2. ruin an actually good record, 3. make a bad record even worse, but it can never make a shitty record good or leastwise bearable. Thus, it makes no sense to lose many words about the sound of Monuments Uncovered. Only for the record: the mix is okay, but it does not lend the songs the extra portion of pressure they would have benefitted from.

In short, this album is one of the most superfluous of all time. It has done exactly two things: it wasted raw materials and murdered the integrity of its protagonists. I don’t think it’s an album at all, just a betrayal. Mystic Prophecy, you can do it many times better.

Rating: 0.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 6, 2021.

I always liked Mystic Prophecy. Of course, they had the most clichéd lyrics of all the current 142,592 bands recorded in M-A, but so what? They had the heart in the right place, a very good singer blessed with a strong voice and made pure metal flowing out of the speakers, sometimes good, sometimes so-so, but always authentic. And then came Monuments Uncovered.

First: the songs replayed here are in no way "monuments", at least not in the metal cosmos in which I like to stay. I also don't give a shit whether these are good pop songs (or occasional rock songs) or not. Because the artistic intention behind this record remains completely obscure. For a good reason - there shouldn't have been any, here it should have been only about the attempt to earn a few Euros with minimal effort. But then one could at least have expected Mystic Prophecy to have added their own touch somewhere here. Maybe that is the case in one or the other solo, but no title is changed in its basic structure, is presented in another tempo or has any moment of surprise to offer. Uninspired and like slaves of their own disorientation the quintet drags itself through one inanity after the other. Lead vocalist Liapakis doesn't come into his own at all in the poppy realms and thus the band robs itself of its strongest weapon.

Liapakis doesn't sound corny, but without any charisma. His unexpected complete lack of expression is the perfect partner to the powerless performance of the instrumental fraction. Of course, this Lenny Kravitz junk, for example, has a few percent more fire than 'Because the Night' or 'I'm Still Standing' and there would have been little objection to a single cover of 'Space Lord' on a regular album. But this whole work of art bristles with embarrassment. One look at the front painting is enough to know that there must have been a collective blackout here. A more childish picture you really only rarely get to see. But maybe I don't understand and the cover is supposed to be the ultimate humiliation of Kim Wilde, who was very pretty 35 years ago?

So don’t expect a metallic frame, these songs haven’t been pushed out of their comfort zone – and the same must be said about the musicians who fulfil the compulsory task without energy or conviction. Even the only acceptable track, 'Space Lord', sounds much more expressive, much more dynamic and much more casual in the original version. And even if I don't believe it and don't recognize it, maybe the originals somehow have a soul, a spirit or something else to like them for. Mystic Prophecy have successfully levelled all this with their uniformly unambitious recording of their versions. Wise guys may now point out that the production of these alleged monuments is fine after all. How ridiculous! A production can do the following things: 1. make a good record even better, 2. ruin an actually good record, 3. make a bad record even worse, but it can never make a shitty record good or leastwise bearable. Thus, it makes no sense to lose many words about the sound of Monuments Uncovered. Only for the record: the mix is okay, but it does not lend the songs the extra portion of pressure they would have benefitted from.

In short, this album is one of the most superfluous of all time. It has done exactly two things: it wasted raw materials and murdered the integrity of its protagonists. I don’t think it’s an album at all, just a betrayal. Mystic Prophecy, you can do it many times better.

Rating: 0.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 6, 2021.

I always liked Mystic Prophecy. Of course, they had the most clichéd lyrics of all the current 142,592 bands recorded in M-A, but so what? They had the heart in the right place, a very good singer blessed with a strong voice and made pure metal flowing out of the speakers, sometimes good, sometimes so-so, but always authentic. And then came Monuments Uncovered.

First: the songs replayed here are in no way "monuments", at least not in the metal cosmos in which I like to stay. I also don't give a shit whether these are good pop songs (or occasional rock songs) or not. Because the artistic intention behind this record remains completely obscure. For a good reason - there shouldn't have been any, here it should have been only about the attempt to earn a few Euros with minimal effort. But then one could at least have expected Mystic Prophecy to have added their own touch somewhere here. Maybe that is the case in one or the other solo, but no title is changed in its basic structure, is presented in another tempo or has any moment of surprise to offer. Uninspired and like slaves of their own disorientation the quintet drags itself through one inanity after the other. Lead vocalist Liapakis doesn't come into his own at all in the poppy realms and thus the band robs itself of its strongest weapon.

Liapakis doesn't sound corny, but without any charisma. His unexpected complete lack of expression is the perfect partner to the powerless performance of the instrumental fraction. Of course, this Lenny Kravitz junk, for example, has a few percent more fire than 'Because the Night' or 'I'm Still Standing' and there would have been little objection to a single cover of 'Space Lord' on a regular album. But this whole work of art bristles with embarrassment. One look at the front painting is enough to know that there must have been a collective blackout here. A more childish picture you really only rarely get to see. But maybe I don't understand and the cover is supposed to be the ultimate humiliation of Kim Wilde, who was very pretty 35 years ago?

So don’t expect a metallic frame, these songs haven’t been pushed out of their comfort zone – and the same must be said about the musicians who fulfil the compulsory task without energy or conviction. Even the only acceptable track, 'Space Lord', sounds much more expressive, much more dynamic and much more casual in the original version. And even if I don't believe it and don't recognize it, maybe the originals somehow have a soul, a spirit or something else to like them for. Mystic Prophecy have successfully levelled all this with their uniformly unambitious recording of their versions. Wise guys may now point out that the production of these alleged monuments is fine after all. How ridiculous! A production can do the following things: 1. make a good record even better, 2. ruin an actually good record, 3. make a bad record even worse, but it can never make a shitty record good or leastwise bearable. Thus, it makes no sense to lose many words about the sound of Monuments Uncovered. Only for the record: the mix is okay, but it does not lend the songs the extra portion of pressure they would have benefitted from.

In short, this album is one of the most superfluous of all time. It has done exactly two things: it wasted raw materials and murdered the integrity of its protagonists. I don’t think it’s an album at all, just a betrayal. Mystic Prophecy, you can do it many times better.

Rating: 0.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 6, 2021.

I always liked Mystic Prophecy. Of course, they had the most clichéd lyrics of all the current 142,592 bands recorded in M-A, but so what? They had the heart in the right place, a very good singer blessed with a strong voice and made pure metal flowing out of the speakers, sometimes good, sometimes so-so, but always authentic. And then came Monuments Uncovered.

First: the songs replayed here are in no way "monuments", at least not in the metal cosmos in which I like to stay. I also don't give a shit whether these are good pop songs (or occasional rock songs) or not. Because the artistic intention behind this record remains completely obscure. For a good reason - there shouldn't have been any, here it should have been only about the attempt to earn a few Euros with minimal effort. But then one could at least have expected Mystic Prophecy to have added their own touch somewhere here. Maybe that is the case in one or the other solo, but no title is changed in its basic structure, is presented in another tempo or has any moment of surprise to offer. Uninspired and like slaves of their own disorientation the quintet drags itself through one inanity after the other. Lead vocalist Liapakis doesn't come into his own at all in the poppy realms and thus the band robs itself of its strongest weapon.

Liapakis doesn't sound corny, but without any charisma. His unexpected complete lack of expression is the perfect partner to the powerless performance of the instrumental fraction. Of course, this Lenny Kravitz junk, for example, has a few percent more fire than 'Because the Night' or 'I'm Still Standing' and there would have been little objection to a single cover of 'Space Lord' on a regular album. But this whole work of art bristles with embarrassment. One look at the front painting is enough to know that there must have been a collective blackout here. A more childish picture you really only rarely get to see. But maybe I don't understand and the cover is supposed to be the ultimate humiliation of Kim Wilde, who was very pretty 35 years ago?

So don’t expect a metallic frame, these songs haven’t been pushed out of their comfort zone – and the same must be said about the musicians who fulfil the compulsory task without energy or conviction. Even the only acceptable track, 'Space Lord', sounds much more expressive, much more dynamic and much more casual in the original version. And even if I don't believe it and don't recognize it, maybe the originals somehow have a soul, a spirit or something else to like them for. Mystic Prophecy have successfully levelled all this with their uniformly unambitious recording of their versions. Wise guys may now point out that the production of these alleged monuments is fine after all. How ridiculous! A production can do the following things: 1. make a good record even better, 2. ruin an actually good record, 3. make a bad record even worse, but it can never make a shitty record good or leastwise bearable. Thus, it makes no sense to lose many words about the sound of Monuments Uncovered. Only for the record: the mix is okay, but it does not lend the songs the extra portion of pressure they would have benefitted from.

In short, this album is one of the most superfluous of all time. It has done exactly two things: it wasted raw materials and murdered the integrity of its protagonists. I don’t think it’s an album at all, just a betrayal. Mystic Prophecy, you can do it many times better.

Rating: 0.2 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 6, 2021.

I always liked Mystic Prophecy. Of course, they had the most clichéd lyrics of all the current 142,592 bands recorded in M-A, but so what? They had the heart in the right place, a very good singer blessed with a strong voice and made pure metal flowing out of the speakers, sometimes good, sometimes so-so, but always authentic. And then came Monuments Uncovered.

First: the songs replayed here are in no way "monuments", at least not in the metal cosmos in which I like to stay. I also don't give a shit whether these are good pop songs (or occasional rock songs) or not. Because the artistic intention behind this record remains completely obscure. For a good reason - there shouldn't have been any, here it should have been only about the attempt to earn a few Euros with minimal effort. But then one could at least have expected Mystic Prophecy to have added their own touch somewhere here. Maybe that is the case in one or the other solo, but no title is changed in its basic structure, is presented in another tempo or has any moment of surprise to offer. Uninspired and like slaves of their own disorientation the quintet drags itself through one inanity after the other. Lead vocalist Liapakis doesn't come into his own at all in the poppy realms and thus the band robs itself of its strongest weapon.

Liapakis doesn't sound corny, but without any charisma. His unexpected complete lack of expression is the perfect partner to the powerless performance of the instrumental fraction. Of course, this Lenny Kravitz junk, for example, has a few percent more fire than 'Because the Night' or 'I'm Still Standing' and there would have been little objection to a single cover of 'Space Lord' on a regular album. But this whole work of art bristles with embarrassment. One look at the front painting is enough to know that there must have been a collective blackout here. A more childish picture you really only rarely get to see. But maybe I don't understand and the cover is supposed to be the ultimate humiliation of Kim Wilde, who was very pretty 35 years ago?

So don’t expect a metallic frame, these songs haven’t been pushed out of their comfort zone – and the same must be said about the musicians who fulfil the compulsory task without energy or conviction. Even the only acceptable track, 'Space Lord', sounds much more expressive, much more dynamic and much more casual in the original version. And even if I don't believe it and don't recognize it, maybe the originals somehow have a soul, a spirit or something else to like them for. Mystic Prophecy have successfully levelled all this with their uniformly unambitious recording of their versions. Wise guys may now point out that the production of these alleged monuments is fine after all. How ridiculous! A production can do the following things: 1. make a good record even better, 2. ruin an actually good record, 3. make a bad record even worse, but it can never make a shitty record good or leastwise bearable. Thus, it makes no sense to lose many words about the sound of Monuments Uncovered. Only for the record: the mix is okay, but it does not lend the songs the extra portion of pressure they would have benefitted from.

In short, this album is one of the most superfluous of all time. It has done exactly two things: it wasted raw materials and murdered the integrity of its protagonists. I don’t think it’s an album at all, just a betrayal. Mystic Prophecy, you can do it many times better.

Rating: 0.2 out of 10