Having seen the track titles and artwork of “Mystigram”, it came as no surprise when it began with a piece of sludgy Death-Doom. What did surprise me was the subtlety and variety that Mystic Grave managed to inject into this four track work. If the first track “I Vomit on Your Grave” is essentially doomy, it also has the distinction of a really old-school long hair and hippie era feel about it. “Pictures of the Dead” has more drive without losing the essential doom. It presses on like a Runemagick track but at the same time can be quite spooky. Throughout, the vocals reminded me of Mikael Akerfeldt in Death mode on the early Opeth albums. “Deranged” is particularly interesting, toning down from an already doomy atmosphere to a funeral section which almost grinds to a dead stop, but impressively creeps along before cranking up again. “Hunt Ritual” describes the track perfectly and indeed the album. The music reflects someone or something on the prowl. It picks up in that calming Runemagick / Akerfeldt way. The plodding and doomy ending is anti-climactic but I guess anything epic would not have suited this generally understated and decidedly morbid affair.

Doomy Death isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but for those who do appreciate this style, I thought that “Mystigram”s dark and creepy ambiance made it an impressive listen.

http://www.myspace.com/mysticgrave

Andrew Doherty

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