MYSTIFIER - WICCA (1992)

Brazil's MYSTIFIER bring plenty of desirable elements to the table with their debut full-length, Wicca: a shit-ton of tinny, flailing, drum-machiney blastbeats, indecipherable, effects-drenched vocals, weird chanting and solemn incantations, weedly-weedly tapping solos, chunky, farting bass, and ethereal, atmospheric keyboards--but the most important element, to be sure, is the stifling, omnipresent aura of pure, unadulterated, Satanic EVIL present here, in the lyrics, the artwork, the aesthetic--but mostly, the deep, haunting weirdness of the MUSIC. Mystifier shred balls with the best of 'em, but there is a touch of off-kilter zaniness--of the "outsider" perspective--to this band that cements their status as one of blackened death metal's most interesting imports.
We last checked in with these guys waaaayyyy too long ago, via a post Brother TMM wrote about 1996's ESL masterpiece The World Is So Good That Who Made It Does Not Live Here, and before that, Mystifier made their IllCon debut with the face-melting track "Give The Human Devil His Due" on the Gummo soundtrack. Wicca is fucking great, but this band only got better as the years went by (I'll provide evidence in the form of 1993's Goetia here soon), and I plan on keeping abreast of their progress with a much higher level of scrutiny in the foreseeable future.
Let's all head out to a misty clearing in the woods and crucify a dude for the Dark Lord to the strains of Wicca tonight, OK? It's not like you've got anything better to do.

Download HERE


Another band photo from back when they were just wee lads:


Alternate (original?) cover art:

Metallum/Last.FM