Maik Jegszenties is the vocalist and guitarist for the Speed Metal band MESSERSCHMIDT. He thought it was time for a detour in the form of a side project, and the result that is now reaching my ears is called DEADLY MAGIC. What he wanted to achieve is play in the US Metal style of the eighties. Well, when confronted with the first EP of the band, “…As Nightmares Gorged The Earth” you can only conclude that he has accomplished his goals, as this sounds like a combination of CRIMSON GLORY, AGENT STEEL, CRIMSON GLORY and early FATES WARNING.

“…As Nightmares Gorged The Earth” was released on January 14th 2024, so is almost a year old before it reached my laptop, mobile phone and subsequently my ears. Shame on us at Metal Temple, because this release does certainly not deserve to be ignored for such a long time. I for one am glad that I am the one that has been given the chance to rectify out poor insight. "…As Nightmares Gorged The Earth" is available on vinyl and CD, and if you are interested, just look on the bands Bandcamp site. You will be able to get it there, or at the record company site. Is it really worth it, though?

Well, YES, IT IS! This is outstanding stuff by a very inspired band. Band leader Maik Jegszenties not only wrote four very good songs musically, he also co-wrote all the lyrics with Florian Piwek, the bass guitarist of MESSERSCHMIDT. All 23:26 minutes of what is offered by DEADLY MAGIC can be classed as musical bliss, as that is how I see it. Not only does what I hear remind you of the four peer bands mentioned, they also have been written to the same standard as those bands usually use. In other words, the quality of the songs on “…As Nightmares Gorged The Earth” is outstanding. You will hear the influences raging from one to another throughout every tune, making DEADLY MAGIC very apt name for this combo.

I know that Maik Jegszenties is seeing DEADLY MAGIC as a side project, but after listening to “…As Nightmares Gorged The Earth” I really do hope that he continues using this vehicle a lot of the time to express his love for this kind of music. Because if there is one real criticism that I can relate to when it comes to DEADLY MAGIC it is that I feel that “…As Nightmares Gorged The Earth” is way, way too short for me. I would have loved at least 40 minutes more. Bring it on, Maik Jegszenties.