Sunday, February 16, 8 p.m.
Rozz-Tox, 2108 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
A bill of pummeling post-hardcore, screamo, and full-throated black metal hits Rozz-Tox on February 16 as St. Louis’ Mystic Will forms a bill with local acts The Dead Girl Medallion and Suburban Commando.
Mystic Will’s music combines the incessant, tremolo-picked guitar lines and atmospheric harmonic framings of black metal with muscular drumming and vocal-cord-tearing vocal styles closer to the post-hardcore playbook. Listening to their EP titled EP from late 2019 took me at times to the aggressive yet complex songwriting of Converge, the smeared, double-time drum bursts of Norwegian forebears such as Emperor, and the constantly mutating riffs and atypical harmonies of modern black-metal legends Krallice. Mystic Will has a tight hold on their song structures, and never sits still within any given riff or progression for more than a few seconds, resulting in spiraling tracks that continually seem to one up themselves in terms of intensity.
EP opener “Forever Crux” hits its most triumphant moments when the guitars break out of their jackhammer tempos and start tossing off more half-time phrases that serve as a springboard for singer “Jack” to wail in time over. When the track totally crumbles around the five-minute mark and the band takes the opportunity to wind their way back into the mix with a somber guitar interlude set against an almost funky drum pattern, it sounds like something that wouldn’t feel out of place on The Deftones’ White Pony – a little oasis of contemplation within an otherwise surging litany of ideas.
Like Converge, Mystic Will aren’t afraid to mix contrasting tonalities and styles of guitar performance into their tracks. Some moments sound out in the din with a more serrated, almost bluesy style of riffing, while some moments blast forward with constant buzzing pick work that speeds its way through a tiered web of chords. The vocals shift on a dime from what could be described as the more death-metal-influenced, guttural “Cookie Monster” style into hand-cupped-over-the-mic screams straight from the metalcore playbook. “Jack” (just to clarify, this is how he’s credited on the band’s releases) offers enough personality and pure fire in his performances to keep us engaged, all while the band works their way through some labyrinthine riff structures that could even seem proggy if presented on their own. “Mortal Will,” for example, showcases some absolutely blistering guitar work built on dissonant chords and moments of almost regal harmonic grandeur.
Mystic Will make it clear that their chops are honed enough to easily toss off warp-speed black-metal riffs, but they know how to deploy them sparingly, only when the atmosphere of the song calls for it. “A Retaliation Reverie” balances bursts of double-time kick drum brutality and washes of guitar with a series of tightly synced breakdowns that unite the vocal rhythms with the rest of the band’s assault. Heavy Jane Doe vibes follow when the drums streak off into an almost lead capacity one minute into the track, as drummer “Casey” tumbles his way over the toms and keeps the punchy snare bursts rolling over the beat. The genre marker “Blackgaze” that they feature on their Bandcamp makes sense here as the band compliments washes of pure black-metal fury with more considered, texture-focused composition.
Mystic Will play Rozz-Tox on February 16 with sets by The Dead Girl Medallion and Suburban Commando, admission to the 8 p.m. concert is a sliding scale of $5-10, and more information is available by calling (309)200-0978 or visiting RozzTox.com.
