Mystery Blue – Night Demon

Mystery Blue
Night Demon
Label: Massacre Records
Out: December 6^th, 2024
Playing time: 50:06

Mystery Blue were founded in 1982 by guitarist Frenzy Philippon in the Alsatian city of Strasbourg. Shortly afterwards, the band made a name for themselves with two album releases (‘Mystery Blue’ – 1984, ‘Circle Of Shame’ – 1986) and tours as the support act for bands such as Motörhead, Def Leppard, Saxon and Vengeance.  This first creative period ended in 1989, and the band was not re-formed until 1996. Since then, singer Nathalie Geyer has also been on board. And the comeback album ‘Spirit Of Your Song’ was released. In 1998, drummer Vince Koehler joined the band. Since then, Mystery Blue have played on a number of tours, together with Girlschool, Virgin Steele, Powerwolf, Rebellion, Freedom Call – to name but a few. The band can also look back on various appearances at festivals. ‘Night Demon’ is the French band’s ninth studio album.

In the opening song ‘End Of The World’, the French go to work extremely violently. The guitar and drums sound very hectic. Nathalie Geyer’s vocals are hardly inferior to this. In addition to powerful Rock, you can also hear high Metal screams from her. On ‘Colours Of Life’, Mystery Blue slow down a little. Nevertheless, they still bang out Speed Metal instead of the previously hard-hitting Thrash. There is clearly more melody audible. ‘Burning Souls’ is an instrumental interlude, in which you can first hear sound gimmicks, which are later replaced by a guitar melody. The rhythmic, riff-driven ‘Night Demon’ is even quieter, at times contemplative. Nathalie sings with a clear and powerful voice. Towards the end, the twin guitars deliver a short solo competition. The riffs also dominate on ‘Human Again’. However, it picks up a little speed again. In addition, the singer seamlessly belts out high-pitched metal screams. Does ‘Pandemic Metal Virus’ thematise things that happened during the coronavirus pandemic? Hard drumming lies beneath the screams. The sound is also heavier again, the tempo faster. The guitar hooks in particular set the rhythm here. Plus, another guitar solo. In contrast, ‘Rebel At Heart’ is a strong Metal anthem. Andreas Babuschkin (Paragon) can be heard in a duet with Nathalie Geyer on ‘Undertakers’, which is once again dominated by heavy guitar riffs. ‘Skulls From Hell’ is more reminiscent of the opening track, lots of speed with a strong Thrash flavour. The tempo is also kept very high during the short guitar solo. The whipping drums underline the singer’s high screams. Then Mystery Blue give themselves and the listener a breather. ‘Where Metal Rules’ starts as a contemplative ballad with piano and beautiful guitar melodies. Later, the mid-tempo range is only occasionally left slightly. Instead, ‘Wild Fire’ kicks off again. However, it remains essentially melodic. Only now and again do the drums drive the band towards thrash. A beautiful ballad follows shortly before the end with ‘Forever Hand In Hand’. Nathalie’s voice seems fragile at first. She is accompanied by subtle guitars. When the guitars then kick in powerfully, the vocals are stronger again. The crowning glory is an ingenious guitar solo. The final track is the Accept cover ‘Restless And Wild’. Musically damn close to the original. Of course, Nathalie’s voice is in no way comparable to that of Udo Dirkschneider. Nevertheless, she is able to perform the vocal part authentically.

With ‘Night Demon’, Mystery Blue have released an outstanding album. It impresses with its extraordinary versatility in composition and arrangement. The instrumentation is mostly hard-hitting and pushes frontwoman Nathalie Geyer to peak vocal performances. High Metal screams can be heard again and again. But Mystery Blue also show their soulful side. A clear recommendation for every metal fan.

Mystery Blue – Rebel At Heart: https://youtu.be/p74Wh-lf3BQ?si=ISJ_wK6U07edsi-u

Lineup:

Nathalie Geyer – Vocals
Frenzy Philippon – Guitar
Erik Lothaire – Guitar
Julien “Ted” Weibel – Bass
Vince Koehler – Drums

Track list:

• End Of The World
• Colours Of Life
• Burning Souls
• Night Demon
• Human Again
• Pandemic Metal Virus
• Rebel At Heart
• Undertakers feat. Andreas Babuschkin
• Skulls From Hell
• Where Metal Rules
• Wild Fire
• Forever Hand In Hand
• Restless And Wild