Review by Adam M on March 8, 2016.

This music here features a heavy power metal vibe, but adds folk influences as well. The sound is very positive and chirpy sounding. Take the fifth track, Burden of the Fallen, which is acoustic. This is a great example of the folk aspects that are largely found on One Man Army. The cheesiness of power metal is somewhat associated with these tracks, but the folk side brings things into a more interesting territory. The result is an uplifting marriage of different types of sounds.

This positivity is infectious and one of the standout qualities to be found here. The album resonates with a gleaming and beautiful approach that is welcome to behold throughout. The vocals alternate between harsh and operatic types. This leads to a bombastic approach that is slightly different than either the one typically used for power metal or folk. The track “Cry for Earth Bounds” displays this dichotomy of vocal aspects quite effectively and adds female vocals to the overall mix. It seems to me that the number of elements on display always prevents the album from being completely cheesy. The variety certainly helps here for the band to achieve a differentiation from similar bands. There is also the folk aspect that leads Ensiferum to be closer to Alestorm, but thankfully doesn’t approach the cheesiness of that outfit either.

Still, there is nothing overly different on this work as it sounds very similar to a number of other albums. This is perhaps the biggest flaw to be found in the work overall. It isn’t distinctive enough or stellar enough in any area to make too much of an impact. Still, those looking for great power and folk metal should find solace within the tracks on One Man Army. It’s a work of very good quality.

Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on May 4, 2024.

There are a lot of bands who create music with this ominous feeling like you are dwelling into the realm of the unknown, full of mystery and horrors that await on the other side. Such is the case with the Polish black/death metal band Mysthicon, who have been around for nearly a decade and yet the members have since then remained anonymous. I was recommended that I check out their debut full-length album Silva - Oculis – Corvi that was released on September 23rd, 2020 via Witching Hour Productions, and since I always have faith in the Polish metal scene, I was curious to see what lies beyond this alien and mystic world that stands before me. 

The god forsaken wrath of Mysthicon arises with the opening track 'Arise', showcasing that this is one mean work of relentless and chaotic blackened death metal without compromises, ripping and tearing with its heavy tremolo riffs, wall-breaking double-bass drums and demonic harsh growling vocals shouting out from the deep abyss, backed up by eerie and atmospheric keyboards. This album provides a handful of bat-shit crazy bangers that will definitely shake the earth with its pulsing and destructive energy that flows throughout the entire journey. Some examples such as 'Into The Dark' and 'Star Prophet' incorporate a slower tempo by going into a darker and moodier direction which is borderline death/doom metal in its overall execution, showcasing a dark gothic horror vibe that builds up to the second half of the album. Some of that atmospheric slow tempo formula carries over to the fifth track 'Absorbing The Light Of Fools', combined with the standard blackened death metal shredding that makes the overall song feel more dynamic and richer. What most people highlight as the best track on the album, myself included, would undoubtedly be the sixth track, with an over the top yet badass title that says 'Wolves Of Morning Dawn', which combines the best of both worlds, showcasing some spiritually epic and tribal elements in the music. The final track on the album is the cover of Lux Occulta’s 'Passing Away', which nicely serves as an epic conclusion to this album’s journey into the dark. 

Mysthicon’s songwriting is for the most part straightforward and simplistic in its overall execution, but still on point thanks to its slightly more dynamic approaches on a couple of tracks that expand the album’s direction and make it feel more engaging. Overall, it’s awesome that Mysthicon was able to combine elements of black, death and doom metal without ever feeling inconsistent or unbalanced, by successfully keeping everything on an even level without straying too far away of its course. The songs on this album are stylistically very similar, but despite their slightly formulaic approach, they still manage to keep you engaged and on edge with strong consistency that carries over from one track to another. The overall progression of this album is like “the deeper it goes the darker it gets”, and it certainly gets darker the further it goes, especially on the second half where it gradually builds up to become an even bigger monstrosity than it already is. Another highlight to this album is the beautiful and mesmerizing cover art by Tomasz “Hal” Halicki of Vader/Abused Majesty/Hermh, with the visual representation that wonderfully conveys the dark and mystic atmosphere of the music, especially with its good use of blue and green colours that work well together. 

Overall, I personally consider Silva - Oculis – Corvi to be one awesome experience filled with mystery, horror and dread. It’s full of headbanging tunes that are worth checking out from start to finish, with some outstanding examples like 'Star Prophet' and 'Wolves Of Morning Dawn', which will surely get your attention. The fact that the bands members are unknown, I think it nicely adds to the overall mystery and mythology of Mysthicon’s background, and I think that they will continue to release more great albums in the future. 

Rating: 8.7 out of 10

Review by Vladimir on May 4, 2024.

There are a lot of bands who create music with this ominous feeling like you are dwelling into the realm of the unknown, full of mystery and horrors that await on the other side. Such is the case with the Polish black/death metal band Mysthicon, who have been around for nearly a decade and yet the members have since then remained anonymous. I was recommended that I check out their debut full-length album Silva - Oculis – Corvi that was released on September 23rd, 2020 via Witching Hour Productions, and since I always have faith in the Polish metal scene, I was curious to see what lies beyond this alien and mystic world that stands before me. 

The god forsaken wrath of Mysthicon arises with the opening track 'Arise', showcasing that this is one mean work of relentless and chaotic blackened death metal without compromises, ripping and tearing with its heavy tremolo riffs, wall-breaking double-bass drums and demonic harsh growling vocals shouting out from the deep abyss, backed up by eerie and atmospheric keyboards. This album provides a handful of bat-shit crazy bangers that will definitely shake the earth with its pulsing and destructive energy that flows throughout the entire journey. Some examples such as 'Into The Dark' and 'Star Prophet' incorporate a slower tempo by going into a darker and moodier direction which is borderline death/doom metal in its overall execution, showcasing a dark gothic horror vibe that builds up to the second half of the album. Some of that atmospheric slow tempo formula carries over to the fifth track 'Absorbing The Light Of Fools', combined with the standard blackened death metal shredding that makes the overall song feel more dynamic and richer. What most people highlight as the best track on the album, myself included, would undoubtedly be the sixth track, with an over the top yet badass title that says 'Wolves Of Morning Dawn', which combines the best of both worlds, showcasing some spiritually epic and tribal elements in the music. The final track on the album is the cover of Lux Occulta’s 'Passing Away', which nicely serves as an epic conclusion to this album’s journey into the dark. 

Mysthicon’s songwriting is for the most part straightforward and simplistic in its overall execution, but still on point thanks to its slightly more dynamic approaches on a couple of tracks that expand the album’s direction and make it feel more engaging. Overall, it’s awesome that Mysthicon was able to combine elements of black, death and doom metal without ever feeling inconsistent or unbalanced, by successfully keeping everything on an even level without straying too far away of its course. The songs on this album are stylistically very similar, but despite their slightly formulaic approach, they still manage to keep you engaged and on edge with strong consistency that carries over from one track to another. The overall progression of this album is like “the deeper it goes the darker it gets”, and it certainly gets darker the further it goes, especially on the second half where it gradually builds up to become an even bigger monstrosity than it already is. Another highlight to this album is the beautiful and mesmerizing cover art by Tomasz “Hal” Halicki of Vader/Abused Majesty/Hermh, with the visual representation that wonderfully conveys the dark and mystic atmosphere of the music, especially with its good use of blue and green colours that work well together. 

Overall, I personally consider Silva - Oculis – Corvi to be one awesome experience filled with mystery, horror and dread. It’s full of headbanging tunes that are worth checking out from start to finish, with some outstanding examples like 'Star Prophet' and 'Wolves Of Morning Dawn', which will surely get your attention. The fact that the bands members are unknown, I think it nicely adds to the overall mystery and mythology of Mysthicon’s background, and I think that they will continue to release more great albums in the future. 

Rating: 8.7 out of 10