A stronghold for decades in all forms of metal, Texas is home to this duo of musicians known as Mythologik. Consisting of Bryan Eckermann (Scars of the Flesh, ex-Wings of Abaddon) on all instrumentation and Joe Gregory (Valkyrie) on vocals, the group released a self-titled four song EP in September 2023 that set the stage for the latest debut album Blood in the Sky. Given the thrash to melodic death metal to power / speed experiences behind these musicians, a few spins through these nine tracks will encompass a throwback sound to the late 80s melodic, progressive thrash meets melodic blackened/death reference points for quite an engaging, unique offering.
The standout components to Joe’s range come from a multi-octave, forceful delivery that sits in a zone that may be familiar to those who love early Russ Anderson-era Forbidden along with John Connelly of Nuclear Assault. He has a way of just grabbing your ears to shake the atmosphere through earth shattering roars during highlights like “Lord Death” or the stunted mid-tempo driven “Satanael”. Bryan’s ability to fill the musical side with guitars, bass, drums and keyboards reaches into the bag of Scandinavian extreme textures during faster sections of “Scorched Earth”, while being calmer yet no less impactful during a more Nevermore-ish effort like “Disease of the Soul”. Versatility keeps the record moving along at a dynamic pace, track by track hitting you with these sub-genre angles where Metallica-ish groove hits against staccato or extreme bends/twists – making “Dark Waters” a back half favorite. The longest track “Fallen Empire” contains over eight-minutes of epic textures: the opening sequence a build up of haunting feelings that drives into melodic blackened/death riffs and supporting harmonies, the solo section a magnificent display of tasteful notes in understated, neoclassical phrasing as the finale reverts into another lighter clean guitar/vocal part. The sonic values, tones, and production all mesh well with the style these gentlemen deliver – another ace in the hole for long-term listening value.
Blood in the Sky is a solid offering for those who love cross-pollination of specific underground genres that keep the eyes firm on purity of what the songs need versus technical prowess or extraneous parts. Mythologik takes the best of late 80s thrash and mid to late 90s melodic death/blackened metal to release a very satisfying record – one that could gain momentum in many countries / continents far and wide.