Mysthicon – Bieśń

Mysthicon is a Polish-based musical project, founded in 2015 by Vader, Lux Occulta, Hate and Батюшка members. The line-up of the band is comprised of; Adrian Mięsowicz (vocals), Grzegorz Kapłon (guitars), Szymon Hadała (guitars), Mateusz Zawada (bass), Tharthaq (synths) and Andrzej Citko (drums).

After five long years of preparation and creating of the new compositions, these six guys bring a 42-minutes sophomore full-length (in my case a signed copy!) entitled Bieśń (meaning ‘Song’ or ‘Ballad’). Is a follow-up to the highly-acclaimed 2020 debut, Silva – Oculis – Corvi. Opposite to what it might suggest, Bieśń is not so calm and ballad-like record. Bieśń is rather an amazing combination of black, doom & death metal in the archaic spirit of the 90’s. Its forty minutes are almost equally split into the following six pieces.

Tracklist:

1. Shapes

2. Unbearable Silence

3. We Are The Worms

4. Na Naszej Krwi

5. The Storyteller

6. Creation (Lux Occulta cover)

Apart from the abovementioned archaic spirit of the 90’s its dark, Bieśń is a very dark record, with Scandinavian- inspired sound mixed with the nihilism of many Polish and other Eastern European extreme acts. Main focus is on the intense atmosphere and spiritual themes mostly covering stories, songs and legends from the Dukla region (Lesser Poland) and its surroundings. Talking of sound, I think the production sounds very raw, yet professional. Meanwhile, the biggest advantages of this album are – its diverse, intense yet dark nature, featuring some trance rhythms, powerful vocals, often slow and melodic guitars, tasty breakdowns, double bass fury, a great amount of tremolo picking and blast beats.

If I am to pick a couple of personal favorites, then I’ll go with the opening “Shapes” where I particularly enjoyed the opening of the song/record with slow piano and whispers, but soon after unleashing and spitting into pure aggression accompanied with some strong orchestrations. This song is setting the tone and mood for the rest of the album. “The Storyteller” is another strong offering; starting with a folk-tinged intro, but initially proceeding at a restrained pace. I like the ominous atmosphere that the combination of acoustic instruments and evocative vocals creates. Supplementary this track is feauturing several compositional turns and only finally indulging in a brief burst of speed in the final quarter of the song. I also think that the cover of Lux Occulta serves as a perfect epic closure. One can say that the remaining three tracks are in similar style, but there’s no room for boredom, as they all sounding interesting and varied.

One should note that the album features several guest appearance of; Jacek Głód (acoustic guitar), Marcin Chatys (double bass) and Wojciech Miller (hurdy-gurdy).

Only great albums can move listeners and affect human emotions in profound ways, often through carefully considered song sequencing and pacing. In essence Mysthicon has done just that – creating this great, intense and unique blend of styles – sounding progressive black metal quintet with elements of doom and death metal.

If you are a fan of those musical genres or the likes of Rotting Christ, Mgła, Lux Occulta, Uada, Mispurmyng, Gaerea or even Dimmu Borgir, you should check out this album! For additional information on Bieśń visit their bandcamp.