MYSTIC CIRCLE have apparently abandoned black metal in any form whatsoever. Calling the new album sympho black or melodic black from a genre standpoint just doesn't feel right. So what does the band represent at this stage? I would characterize their sound as melodic death with a prominent role for keyboards, punishing drums, and decent solos. On the other hand, there are compositions crafted in a dark metal vein. "Doomsday Prophecy" is a prime example of the latter. Overall, this is one of those releases where it's better not to get hung up on genre classification, since nothing productive will come of it. Associations with other bands arise constantly — EMPEROR, ROTTING CHRIST, DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH (those eerie keyboard passages are strongly reminiscent of the latter) — these are just a few of the names that come to mind. At the same time, one could say the music somewhat resembles the aforementioned bands and about a dozen others, yet it remains original, if not unique. As a reminder that the band once operated in the symphonic black genre, near the album's conclusion we hear the track "Unholy Terror." The album closes with "Circle Of The Tyrants" — a CELTIC FROST cover, an unusual rendition but not particularly interesting. Lyrically, it's business as usual for MYSTIC CIRCLE — anti-Christianity and occultism, with texts that hold no special interest. After the first listen, the album seems rather pale, but a re-listen is absolutely necessary — you may manage to feel the atmosphere of the release, and then it certainly won't seem like a failure.
