Mystic Force came out of Baltimore in the mid
eighties with ambitions bigger than the local club circuit they conquered. They
built their name through demos and tireless gigging, sharing stages with bands
like Pantera and Fates
Warning. Their early history was full of shifting lineups, fast sessions
in small studios and the kind of raw drive that shaped so many underground
groups of that era. The core of Rich Davis, Keith Menser, Chris
Lembach and Bobby Hicks eventually
solidified and pushed the band toward their later full-length albums, but this
material from 1987 shows them right before that phase, young and sharp, chasing
their place in the power metal world.
This new High Roller Records edition brings those early
recordings back into circulation with restored sound and a tidy presentation.
The heart of the release sits in the early demo cuts like “Stagestruck”, “Burn
The Sky”, “With Rank Comes Rule” and “Dethroned”. The band plays with urgency,
the kind of drive you get when musicians are still hungry and willing to sprint
through a studio session with only a few takes. The guitars carve the path
forward, the vocals cut straight through and the rhythm section pushes
everything along with enough energy to keep things lively. The character of
these songs is shaped by that era’s metallic pulse, somewhere between American
power metal grit and the more technical approach that would define the band’s
later sound.
The
additional tracks offer a glimpse into the band’s practice room and early
development. The rehearsal versions have rough edges, nothing sugarcoated, and
that gives the listener a sense of how the band worked behind closed doors.
“Blind Vision” sits comfortably alongside the earlier material, bringing a
slightly different intensity that hints at where Mystic
Force would head in the coming years. The inclusion of the 1987 studio
recording of “Immortal Souls” adds a nice touch, showing how confident the band
already was when stepping into a controlled environment.
As a whole,
this reissue serves as a window into Mystic Force during
their formative stage. It captures the spark that fans of underground metal
appreciate, the moment when a band is still building its identity. The
remastering boosts clarity without scrubbing away the rawness that originally
defined these sessions. For listeners who follow American progressive and power
metal history, this is a welcome release that pulls overlooked work back into
view. It stands as a solid archival document that treats the band’s early story
with respect and care.
Score: 7.5
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