First an important information for all the benighted people out there: Hell is located in Northern Finland, nearby the city of Raahe, where three Horsemen of the Apocalypse (called Mystic Grave) are coming from to fill our lives with "Doom", to bring us "Death" and eternal "Darkness".

So far, so good...

The band combines Old School Death Metal with Sludge and Doom fragments and tries to create an unique and "most extreme, violent and pitch black form of music". Unfortunately the guys of Mystic Grave can't fulfill their own aspirations. Ok, the production of "Doom, Death, Darkness" is well done. Guitars, drums and the voices are mixed as rough and scabious as the gentle listener wants to hear this kind of Metal music. Sad to say, that the rest of the music can't keep the given promises. Every song sounds replaceable, no riff really kicks ass and the vocal lines never reach a "stick-in-your-head" feeling. Further Mystic Grave celebrate a mood of darkness and rancorousness in such a hypocritical way, that it really jars on the nerves. So, after hearing the five tracks of the demo you ask yourself what the fuck the guys want to express with their music. Is this a joke band kidding the evil Metal scene or do Mystic Grave take themselves seriously? To me, it makes no difference: There are enough bands, which create an authentic atmosphere of doom, death and darkness, so I don't bother about listening to Mystic Grave.                

Well produced demo with a really cool raw and rough sound - but next time less hypocritical evilness please.

6 / 10

Thomas Krampe - 14.06.2008