Finnish Melodic Heavy Metal act MYSTERIZER recently released their first full-length album, “Invisible Enemy” on 16 August 2019. This is the anticipated follow-up of well-received EP “Tales From The Mystery Days” (2018), which got them noticed by Inverse Records. Risen from the ashes of a former heavy metal cover band, MYSTERIZER has created their very own identity. Let’s find out what they have in store for us this time.
Judging from this album, I can clearly hear where MYSTERIZER is coming from and which bands probably influenced them the most: JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN. Their sound is a great throwback to the glory of these giants in their prime, especially in tracks like “Angel of Mercy” and “The Dead Man’s Hand”, which – to me – stand out the most by showcasing the band’s true potential. Both Janne Marjamaa and Mike Hammer are brilliant guitarists who get plenty of opportunities to show off their skills, including but not limited to melodic twin guitar harmonies, fundamental groovy rhythm sections, a variety of catchy riffs, and breathtaking solos.
What reminds me most of early IRON MAIDEN is not only the melodicity of it all, but the way the complexity of some of the melodies don’t undermine the driving force of the Metal chords and bassline. They manage to deliver the total, finished package with a delightful rough edge to it. The title track, also being the last and longest one on the album, felt the most experimental, with interesting nuances I missed a bit on the rest of “Invisible Enemy”. That being said, MYSTERIZER does manage to keep up a steady flow of quality heavy metal, and frontman Tomi Kurtti provides us with some fabulous, near theatrical vocals that really set the tone for every track.
The guitars definitely get most of the spotlight, and rightfully so, because they are the highlight of this record, sometimes even outshining Tomi Kurtti‘s vocals. He has a powerful voice with a unique timbre, but I almost felt like he was holding back a bit at times. However, MYSTERIZER is still growing, so I will not blame them for playing it safe for now. I do wish for them to build up more confidence with every new track and performance, so they can keep on evolving their own style, because what they have shown us so far has great potential to become big in Traditional Metal.
TRACK LIST
1. Take and Go
2. Trails of Blood
3. Angel of Mercy
4. No Return
5. Just Wait
6. The Dead Man’s Hand
7. Behind the Masquerade
8. Splitting the Darkness
9. Two Lives
10. Fight Fire with Fire
11. Invisible Enemy
LINEUP
Tomi Kurtti – Vocals
Mike Hammer – Guitars
Janne Marjamaa – Guitars
Jari Alakoski – Bass
Pasi Niskala – Drums
RECORD LABEL
Inverse Records
LINKS
https://www.mysterizer.com
https://www.facebook.com/MysterizerFinnishmetalband
https://www.instagram.com/mysterizerband
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