Mystical Death - Across

Formed in early 2024, Dutch purveyors of progressive, technical death metal, Mystical Death, independently released their debut EP, Carnation, in the September of that same year. Featuring five exquisitely constructed songs which maintained a gritty, old school death metal atmosphere while displaying remarkable technicality and adventurous spirit, Carnation drew the attention of renowned American label, Rottweiler Records. Rottweiler promptly welcomed Mystical Death into their ranks and reissued Carnation, complete with a bonus track, in late 2025. With Rottweiler's support and distribution Mystical Death began to accrue critical acclaim from around the metal world, with outlets like Metal Temple enamoured by the band's “inspiring songs”. Now Mystical Death, still allied with Rottweiler Records, are ready to unveil their second release, their first full length album, the staggering Across.

The album's opening track and first single, 'Apophenia', hits hard with immediate impact. The old death metal feel is alive and well, adorned in spiralling guitar motifs and driven forward by a savage vocal…and then the song seems to break open; released from the restraints of structure guitar, bass and drums push outwards in different directions, exploring and expanding…and then just as suddenly everything snaps back into that finely honed warhead of death metal, words being spat out with machinegun like intensity. 'Laniakea' follows, utilising different modes, evoking a different exotic atmosphere and displaying a breathtaking complexity of form. The song shifts from darkness to light, steel to liquid, undergoing constant transformation. Ironically, this is death metal that sounds irresistibly alive - evolving and challenging, testing limits. As Across progresses its songs seem to become ever more exhilarating in their irrepressible movement and stunning in their feats of contrast. 'Empathy' moves from tranquillity to terror, a many-layered creation of smooth jazz tones and ferocious death metal, saxophone solos and fearsome vocal exhortations - yet nothing ever seems to jar or break the unfolding sense of atmosphere. It's incredible to realise just how compact these songs are, whilst containing so much…Mystical Death seeming to find more space to exploit within concise track lengths than should logically exist. A song like 'Thalassa' builds worlds in just a handful of minutes. Time signatures collapse and reform at will, the carefully curated use of varied vocal styles surprises and enriches…from the stuttering, explosive 'Kurtosis' to the classical fanfare of the concluding instrumental, 'Sanctus' - a last dramatic twist to this wonderful narrative - Across is an enthralling, expansive work of tremendous musicianship and imagination.

With all the music being written, performed, mixed and mastered by the band's central figure, Mystic, who also created the album's cover artwork and wrote the lyrics to every song, Mystical Death possesses a powerfully unified and singular vision. Across is an album that never releases its hold on its death metal roots and yet manages to push the boundaries of the genre, sculpting its essence into quite beautifully bewildering new forms. When Rottweiler Records unleash Across on November 6th, step inside this riot of creativity and let Mystical Death lead you to places unknown…

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