Mystras "Castles Conquered and Reclaimed" Review - Black Metal Against Empire and Aristocracy

'To those that have been degraded

Written off the books that chronicle

The passing of time and the greatness of mankind

Yet gave all their blood and bone

Wat Tyler represents them'

Μυστράς (Mystras) is one of many projects by longtime lo-fi black metal musician Ayloss, previously known for his work as one half of Divine Element and for his own solo releases under Spectral Lore. Having admittedly never listened to either of those projects previously, most of my feelings about Mystras will be left entirely isolated from his previous work. 

Regardless, the home-brewed, lo-fi nature of the album is apparent from the moment one views the cover, an admittedly well-framed image of a late medieval castle lovingly rendered (probably by Ayloss himself) in blue ballpoint pen. It's incredibly DIY and lo-fi like the music itself, and upon your first click on the Bandcamp or Youtube link below, the two-tone bluish-purple and white image is quite striking; not unlike the monochrome black metal covers of old, but with its' own unique character. The eponymous opening track begins with your typical swirl of black metal guitars, but it quickly evolves into something truly unique within its musical subtype. 

The vocals are woeful, washed-out wails that accompany highly melodic, harmonized guitar riffs that seem increasingly triumphant; from the album's opener, it becomes apparent that Ayloss' sense of melody as it pertains to this project is something special. This is pulled off most convincingly with The Murder of Wat Tyler, my personal favorite track. But we'll get to that soon enough. The title track is standard black metal fare, but well written and more-than-functional, ending with a little bit of Slayer-esque noodling and a fade out on the original minor theme, with faint acoustic guitar momentarily heard in the background suggestive of what is to come next.

The second track was really where this record took an interesting turn for me personally. This is where the folk elements of Mystras begin to be shown openly. Beginning with acoustic guitar and a string section accompanying on a somber old English folk tune, 'The Cutty Wren' is a nice break from the intensity of the first song. Now, folk music and acoustic guitars and strings aren't unheard of in this type of music; there has been a lot of crossover between these seemingly incompatible genres in the past, owed to black metal musicians' often Pagan and European roots. This song can be found with versions by Damh the Bard, Chumbawamba and others and appears here without lyrics, serving merely as an intrumental intro to The Murder of Wat Tyler. Perhaps clean vocals would have been inappropriate here, but there are often choral-sounding vocals that occur elsewhere on this album, buried in the mix - perhaps something to look out for from Mystras in the future? 

The production of these tracks is stellar and appropriate for each, in any case. The black metal guitars and drums are recorded in a style that is not merely lo-fi for the sake of it, but a buzzy cacophany of sound that swirls and churns in your brain; any longtime fan of these kinds of records may be familiar with the trance-like state that these cascading multi-layered minor riffs and melodies can put one in. There are occasional places where, if one listens carefully, you can just hear a plucked acoustic guitar beneath it all. This record succeeds greatly in these traditional black-metal areas, while still allowing for a crisp-but-not-too clean bump in recording quality for the interludes. The viola in particular sounds amazing, as does whatever fretless string instrument (oud?) occurs in O Tsakitzis. My only complaint is that the few times that these elements are alternated between - Wat Tyler and Zealots of Thessaloniki - within a single track, the transition between folk elements and the black metal is quite jarring. All of this does bring to mind the first three albums of Ulver, with equal parts Nattens Madrigal and Kveldssanger throughout. 

Lyrically, the album largely focuses on historical events, particular those taking place in England and Greece in the fourteenth century - the first English Rebellion of Wat Tyler, as well as the poorly-documented Zealots of Thessaloniki who seized power in the Byzantine empire shortly thereafter. There is a unified theme of rebellion, a small group fighting against the Leviathan of tyrannical rule; this perhaps lends a little insight into the somewhat major-key riffs on Wat Tyler and the folk music that occurs throughout. The feeling is at times mournful, at times triumphant, but always monumental, as if Ayloss were attempting to capture the magnitude of what are clearly, in his worldview, very interesting and important events. From the album's own description on I, Voidhanger records, with a quote from the composer himself: 

'...MYSTRAS' music is meant to shed some light on unsung acts of valour and bravery from the Middle Ages, but subverting the tropes by focusing on common folks instead of kings and nobility. “The album tells the stories of those downtrodden under the shiny heels of knights and lords,” he explains; “those who chose to rise up for freedom against innumerable odds and that most often perished, sacrificing themselves for the well-being of the next generations. Mystras is Medieval Black Metal against Empire and Aristocracy.'

The centerpieces of this album, to me, are The Murder of Wat Tyler and Zealots, as I mentioned. These tracks are the longest and stretch across the widest musical terrain of any composition on the record, and portray most accurately what this album is in single tracks. Ayloss has a very unique sound, one born an understanding of both black metal tradition and an interest in historical events. Mandolin melodies dance pleasantly in your ears one moment, only for Ayloss to a minute later sonically sodomize your brain with four part tremolo picked electric guitar harmonies. Admittedly, a very listenable album with a wide variety of thematic content. Sure to be beloved by any balck metal fan, and actually not a bad entry point for lo-fi black metal overall. Check it out below and give the artist some love. 

Now, to go check out some Spectral Lore....

Faves: The Murder of Wat Tyler, Storm the Walls of Mystras, Ai Vist Lo Lop

-Eric