Review by Felix on January 8, 2023.

Amystery hail from Bavaria, the most catholic region in Germany. M-A says they are still active, although their last studio album was released in 2010. I must confess that the dudes always stayed under my radar. I do not remember a single article about the band. However, I hope M-A is right in view of their generic and pristine black metal. Of course, it fails to start a genre revolution, but this is the last thing I am waiting for. Amystery make good use the typical tools and this approach leads to welcome results.

The production is pretty raw and appropriate to the sub genre. Maybe the drums suffer a bit from their clanging sound, but this little shortcoming does not disturb the appropriate overall impression. One can also lament that the mix fails to lend the album an individual face. Nevertheless, its coldness and, well, spiritual purity influence the end result in a positive way. Better still, the song material also deserves a positive rating. Okay, “Thy Spiral” lacks a deeper meaning. It comes and goes without making a lot of sense. But in general, Amystery know how to pen a strong piece of black metal and they do not lack precision whenever it comes to one of the numerous high speed sections. “Praise Darkness”, enjoy its expressive lines at the beginning, confirms both previous theses. Moreover, it impresses with its dynamic, its double bass hell and its raging guitar lines. Not to mention the fact that Amystery prove a good sense for the right number of breaks per song. Most tracks are absolutely coherent without being monotonous. On the other hand, the Bavarians are far from indulging in experimental ideas. They just find a good balance between stubborn blackness and the necessary quantum of variety.

“Transilvanian Hunger” is surely an album the Germans are familiar with. Certainly, they did not record part II of this classic, nobody ever will. But their music spreads pretty similar vibes and is definitely influenced by a lot of hateful works that came from Scandinavia. Eternity from Germany can also be mentioned for orientation. Songs like the opener “Voices from the Crypts” reflect the excessive power of this formation, in particular with regard to the despotic, profound guitar lines. They form these special genre melodies from time to time and do also not shy away from a short, mid-paced salute to Celtic Frost. You’ll find it in “Metamorphose”, another nice embodiment of diabolic thoughts. Anyway, Amystery’s surprisingly mature debut, equipped with a stylish artwork, avoids almost completely stinking fillers from the beginning to the end. Each and every musicians delivers passionately, not only the lead vocalist whose portfolio covers desperate, extended cries as well as misanthropic nagging. So in my humble opinion, the Bavarians did a pretty good job back in 2007, not outstanding, but absolutely competitive in every respect. The only thing I miss is the cryptic silence that the title promises, but naturally that’s no problem at all.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 8, 2023.

Amystery hail from Bavaria, the most catholic region in Germany. M-A says they are still active, although their last studio album was released in 2010. I must confess that the dudes always stayed under my radar. I do not remember a single article about the band. However, I hope M-A is right in view of their generic and pristine black metal. Of course, it fails to start a genre revolution, but this is the last thing I am waiting for. Amystery make good use the typical tools and this approach leads to welcome results.

The production is pretty raw and appropriate to the sub genre. Maybe the drums suffer a bit from their clanging sound, but this little shortcoming does not disturb the appropriate overall impression. One can also lament that the mix fails to lend the album an individual face. Nevertheless, its coldness and, well, spiritual purity influence the end result in a positive way. Better still, the song material also deserves a positive rating. Okay, “Thy Spiral” lacks a deeper meaning. It comes and goes without making a lot of sense. But in general, Amystery know how to pen a strong piece of black metal and they do not lack precision whenever it comes to one of the numerous high speed sections. “Praise Darkness”, enjoy its expressive lines at the beginning, confirms both previous theses. Moreover, it impresses with its dynamic, its double bass hell and its raging guitar lines. Not to mention the fact that Amystery prove a good sense for the right number of breaks per song. Most tracks are absolutely coherent without being monotonous. On the other hand, the Bavarians are far from indulging in experimental ideas. They just find a good balance between stubborn blackness and the necessary quantum of variety.

“Transilvanian Hunger” is surely an album the Germans are familiar with. Certainly, they did not record part II of this classic, nobody ever will. But their music spreads pretty similar vibes and is definitely influenced by a lot of hateful works that came from Scandinavia. Eternity from Germany can also be mentioned for orientation. Songs like the opener “Voices from the Crypts” reflect the excessive power of this formation, in particular with regard to the despotic, profound guitar lines. They form these special genre melodies from time to time and do also not shy away from a short, mid-paced salute to Celtic Frost. You’ll find it in “Metamorphose”, another nice embodiment of diabolic thoughts. Anyway, Amystery’s surprisingly mature debut, equipped with a stylish artwork, avoids almost completely stinking fillers from the beginning to the end. Each and every musicians delivers passionately, not only the lead vocalist whose portfolio covers desperate, extended cries as well as misanthropic nagging. So in my humble opinion, the Bavarians did a pretty good job back in 2007, not outstanding, but absolutely competitive in every respect. The only thing I miss is the cryptic silence that the title promises, but naturally that’s no problem at all.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Felix on January 8, 2023.

Amystery hail from Bavaria, the most catholic region in Germany. M-A says they are still active, although their last studio album was released in 2010. I must confess that the dudes always stayed under my radar. I do not remember a single article about the band. However, I hope M-A is right in view of their generic and pristine black metal. Of course, it fails to start a genre revolution, but this is the last thing I am waiting for. Amystery make good use the typical tools and this approach leads to welcome results.

The production is pretty raw and appropriate to the sub genre. Maybe the drums suffer a bit from their clanging sound, but this little shortcoming does not disturb the appropriate overall impression. One can also lament that the mix fails to lend the album an individual face. Nevertheless, its coldness and, well, spiritual purity influence the end result in a positive way. Better still, the song material also deserves a positive rating. Okay, “Thy Spiral” lacks a deeper meaning. It comes and goes without making a lot of sense. But in general, Amystery know how to pen a strong piece of black metal and they do not lack precision whenever it comes to one of the numerous high speed sections. “Praise Darkness”, enjoy its expressive lines at the beginning, confirms both previous theses. Moreover, it impresses with its dynamic, its double bass hell and its raging guitar lines. Not to mention the fact that Amystery prove a good sense for the right number of breaks per song. Most tracks are absolutely coherent without being monotonous. On the other hand, the Bavarians are far from indulging in experimental ideas. They just find a good balance between stubborn blackness and the necessary quantum of variety.

“Transilvanian Hunger” is surely an album the Germans are familiar with. Certainly, they did not record part II of this classic, nobody ever will. But their music spreads pretty similar vibes and is definitely influenced by a lot of hateful works that came from Scandinavia. Eternity from Germany can also be mentioned for orientation. Songs like the opener “Voices from the Crypts” reflect the excessive power of this formation, in particular with regard to the despotic, profound guitar lines. They form these special genre melodies from time to time and do also not shy away from a short, mid-paced salute to Celtic Frost. You’ll find it in “Metamorphose”, another nice embodiment of diabolic thoughts. Anyway, Amystery’s surprisingly mature debut, equipped with a stylish artwork, avoids almost completely stinking fillers from the beginning to the end. Each and every musicians delivers passionately, not only the lead vocalist whose portfolio covers desperate, extended cries as well as misanthropic nagging. So in my humble opinion, the Bavarians did a pretty good job back in 2007, not outstanding, but absolutely competitive in every respect. The only thing I miss is the cryptic silence that the title promises, but naturally that’s no problem at all.

Rating: 7.7 out of 10

Review by Felix on February 7, 2022.

The screaming thrash metal drummer is back in vogue. It all began with Kreator’s Ventor (remember how he vomited out the words “Storm of… the Beast”, simply brilliant!) and I don’t think that we have already come to the end of the story with Corroder’s devil behind the kit who lends two songs his raw and ugly voice. Okay, his comrade at the guitar sounds even dirtier, but that’s no big deal at all. Both furious young men give their best with a lot of violent energy and, even more important, the musical content hits the mark as well. Admittedly, the word “musical” must be interpreted broadly, because even Demolition Hammer during their recording session of “Epidemic Of Violence” would probably have been blown away by the devastating whirlwind of Corroder. Of course, one gets used to their brutal, early Kreator-influenced thrash apocalypse, nevertheless it’s a demonstration of power. Maybe the Norwegians are the brothers in spirit of Sweden’s Eternal Evil. These dudes also love to kill everyone who have ever heard a song with a drum rhythm this side of the speed of light (in other word: a slimy poser!).

Either way, Corroder are an impressive example for the boiling thrash metal underground – and it’s time that the record companies get this band on their radar. No doubt, their approach is a teensy bit one-dimensional, but at least it is based on three pillars: inferno, more inferno and even more inferno. So what? The songs are coherently designed, the guitar sound is rasping and edgy, breaks are for wimps and - surprise, surprise - every now and then a nearly catchy line sends its rays through the contaminated wasteland of terror. You don’t believe it? Listen to 'Scorn For Scorn', for example, and you will find short guitar parts that will probably keep sticking in your ears. 'At One With Chaos' also provides some memorable sequences, although its name is slightly misleading. Despite the murderous tempo, the songs never lose their structure. I would even go a step further: they are definitely on a par with tracks on “regular releases”, both in terms of compositional abilities and manual skills of the musicians.

So what are you waiting for? It’s never too late to discover a new thrashing force, even if the artwork of their release sucks. I’m so tired of seeing hanging corpses and all this nonsense, but okay, let he who has never committed a youthful sin cast the first stone. Corroder is a promise, an obviously competent bunch of ruffians that cannot spell the word avant-garde, but they can turn their instruments into flamethrowers, Stalin organs and bazookas. That’s amazing! So enjoy the moment, it won’t take long until this sheer aggression will no longer be present, as experience teaches. That’s what I fear, just ask Ventor or compare “Endless Pain” with (the completely inaptly titled) “Extreme Aggression”.

Rating: 8.3 out of 10