MYSTAGOS began in 2005 under the name CHAINS OV BELETH, and change to their new moniker in 2016. Based out of Madrid, Spain, MYSTAGOS released their debut album titled "Ho Anthropos Tes Anomias" in 2017. Called Black Metal by most, they are now releasing their sophomore album titled "Azoth," which contains seven new tracks.

"Adam Kadmon" leads off the album. Straight away I notice fuzzy guitars and muted production. The drummer blasts away while the vocalist utters sins against mankind with his raspy voice. The song has a bit of an amateur quality to it however. "Solve" opens with a slower, more depressive sound, with clean vocals. Harsh vocals come into play as the song turns darker. "Empire of Bones" comes at you more straightforward, with rolling, thunderous drums and harsh vocals. The guitars build a harrowing sound throughout. "Ritual" opens with quad-time kick drumming and that one-two note pattern in the guitars that often accompanies Black Metal. The clean vocal chants bring an element of evil to the sound.

"Shamdon" has a droning sound to it. It's not heavy, but it's dark. The vocals trade off from harsh to clean and back. The bass can be easily heard in the mix here which isn't often the case in Black Metal. It's an original and unusual song as well. "The Weight of a Burial Shroud" opens slowly, with heavy, doomy notes. Clean vocals sung in harmonies are chant-like in their approach. It eventually settles into a bit of a faster groove but compared with the other tracks it's slow and Doomy.

"Wind of Death" closes the album. It opens slowly and cautiously, with whispered vocals, leading to the main riff. It has a unique sound to it and that seems to be a theme with the album here. Heolstor is very good at combining different twists and turns in his work. Sometimes Doomy and other times more straightforward Black Metal, "Azoth" has some nice surprises after the opening song left me a bit flat. Give the album a chance and I think you will find some nice work here.