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 monoc...