Photo: Niddhoeggr Keitelson — Cover Artwork: Thor

June 6, 2025 will see the German iconic black/death metal duo MYSTIC CIRCLE release an extended new edition of “Kriegsgötter MMXXV” via ROAR, featuring 8 tracks and furious cover versions of classics such as from BATHORY, CELTIC FROST, POSSESSED, ACHERON, or the previously-released, completely re-recorded cover version of IRON MAIDEN‘s “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”.

On selected tracks, the band welcomes back British soprano Sarah Jezebel Deva on guest vocals, who has already made guest appearances with CRADLE OF FILTH, THE KOVENANT and THERION, among others. The track “Cry Little Sister” also features Karo Hafke, singer of the dark wave gothic band Umbra Et Imago. Pre-order your album copy now on: https://mysticcircle.rpm.link/krieg

Today, MYSTIC CIRCLE have unleashed a new single taken off “Kriegsgötter MMXXV”, their blistering cover version of the BATHORY classic “One Rode To Asa Bay“! 

Listen now on all digital streaming services at: https://mysticcircle.rpm.link/ortabPR

“One Rode To Asa Bay“ is a track from the fifth BATHORY album „Hammerheart“, which is a favourite of us two,” A. Blackwar reveals. “The band was a huge influence for us back then, but also today. You hear that in our early works and in general for our love of atmospheric parts. When Sarah heard the song in the studio, she went to the cabin and started to sing – which wasn’t planned at all. We looked at each other with a devilish smile in our face and said: that was the missing part! This song is pure epic!”

Let’s go back a quarter of a century to the year 2000: MYSTIC CIRCLE were at their peak at the time after the release of their third studio epic “Infernal Satanic Verses” and were rightly regarded as Germany’s leading black metal band. In the summer after the turn of the millennium, the Ludwigshafen-based band followed up with the 5-track EP “Kriegsgötter II”, a compilation of cover versions and new recordings. However, the founding line-up broke up during this phase and A. Blackwar left the band. Only his return in 2020 and the reunion with vocalist Beelzebub conjured up the spirit of that time again, resulting in the two great new records “Mystic Circle” (2022) and “Erzdämon” (2023), closing the infamous circle (or pentagram?) again.

“It was inevitable for me to end my time with MYSTIC CIRCLE with “Kriegsgötter II”. The long break was necessary, we lost the connection to each other back then – which is stronger than ever today,” summarizes A. Blackwar and looks back with a teary eye, but also with a smile, because as so often in life, everything happens for a reason.

Pre-Order “Kriegsgötter MMXXV” HERE

Album Tracklist:
01 – One Rode To Asa Bay (feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva)
02 – Die Götter der Urväter
03 – Azazel’s Soulfly
04 – Cry Little Sister (Theme from “The Lost Boys”, feat. Karo Hafke of Umbra Et Imago)
05 – Afraid To Shoot Strangers (feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva)
06 – Death Metal
07 – Acheron (Medley)
08 – Circle Of The Tyrants

MYSTIC CIRCLE is:
Beelzebub – Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
A. Blackwar – Drums, Guitars, Keyboards

For More Info Visit:
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/MysticCircleOfficial
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mystic_circle_official
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@mystic_circle_official
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWjsdNlz2HHPJ6Gv1LpwbZg

MYSTIC CIRCLE joined the the rooster of The Flaming Arts Agency
Webpage: https://theflamingarts.eu

photo: Niddhoeggr Keitelson

German iconic blackened death metal duo, MYSTIC CIRCLE, has announced their “Kriegsgötter MMXXV” compilation album for a release on June 6, 2025 via ROAR! A music video for the first single, a cover version of IRON MAIDEN‘s “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”, is streaming below. The album pre-sale is also now available at this location: https://mysticcircle.rpm.link/krieg

But let’s go back a quarter of a century to the year 2000: MYSTIC CIRCLE were at their peak at the time after the release of their third studio epic “Infernal Satanic Verses” and were rightly regarded as Germany’s leading black metal band. In the summer after the turn of the millennium, the Ludwigshafen-based band followed up with the 5-track EP “Kriegsgötter II”, a compilation of cover versions and new recordings. However, the founding line-up also broke up during this phase and A. Blackwar left the band. Only his return in 2020 and the reunion with vocalist Beelzebub conjured up the spirit of that time again, resulting in the two great new records “Mystic Circle” (2022) and “Erzdämon” (2023), closing the infamous circle (or pentagram?) again.

“It was inevitable for me to end my time with MYSTIC CIRCLE with “Kriegsgötter II”. The long break was necessary, we lost the connection to each other back then – which is stronger than ever today,” summarizes A. Blackwar and looks back with a teary eye, but also with a smile, because as so often in life, everything happens for a reason.

Now in 2025, “Kriegsgötter MMXXV” will be released as an extended new edition with 8 tracks featuring furious cover versions of classics such as from BATHORY, CELTIC FROST,  POSSESSED or  ACHERON, including the completely re-recorded cover of IRON MAIDEN’s “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”, premiering today!

“Afraid To Shoot Strangers”, feat. guest vocals from Sarah Jezebel Deva, is now available on all digital streaming services at https://mysticcircle.rpm.link/atssPR

The decision to cover “Afraid To Shoot Strangers” and release it on the new edition brings the band full circle to the past. “At some point back in the 90s, the “A Real Live One” by Iron Maiden was on high rotation in our car CD-player and we got stuck on the song,“ A. Blackwar reveals. “We listened to it over and over again. Then we decided we had to cover it with our keyboards and guitars. It’s good that we’ve done it 25 years later, it wouldn’t have been the right time back then. Now the result is exactly how we both imagined our version to be. Also Sarah Jezebel Deva was immediately back on board and her vocals ennoble and complete the track, her vocals are just a gem,” says the founding member, praising the British soprano, who has also made guest appearances with CRADLE OF FILTH, THE KOVENANT and THERION, among others.

Pre-Order “Kriegsgötter MMXXV” HERE!

Album Tracklist:
01 – One Rode To Asa Bay (feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva)
02 – Die Götter der Urväter
03 – Azazel’s Soulfly
04 – Cry Little Sister (Theme from “The Lost Boys”)
05 – Afraid To Shoot Strangers (feat. Sarah Jezebel Deva)
06 – Death Metal
07 – Acheron (Medley)
08 – Circle Of The Tyrants

Artist Line-Up:
Beelzebub – Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards
Blackwar – Drums, Guitars, Keyboards

For More Info Visit:
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/MysticCircleOfficial
Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mystic_circle_official
TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@mystic_circle_official
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWjsdNlz2HHPJ6Gv1LpwbZg

MYSTIC CIRCLE have been busy as usual over the past few months and are currently in the middle of recording the follow-up album to “Erzdämon”, which will be called “Hexenbrand 1486“ and is due to see the light of day on October 31st, just in time for Halloween.

In the meantime, the two horror maniacs and founding members Beelzebub and A. Blackwar have shot a video clip for “The Mothman”, an epic number from their current album “Erzdämon”.

“Not only has the feedback on „The Mothman“ been very positive in recent months, the song is one of the 4 best tracks on the Erzdämon album and therefore ends up on our live setlist. So it was clear that we had to release another video clip. We discussed the idea for the shoot with Sascha Kutzke and got started right away during the December holidays. We wanted the footage to be very dark, with dark apparitions, symbols and natural disasters. The end result is really impressive and fits in well with our previous clips,” comments A. Blackwar.

As if that wasn’t enough, MYSTIC CIRCLE will release an extended reissue of the “Kriegsgötter” EP on April 18th, enriched with rare bonus tracks and a completely new recorded version of the Iron Maiden classic “Afraid To Shoot Strangers”, which will be released as a single & video on February 12th and feature a prominent guest vocalist in Sarah Jezebel Deva (The Kovenant and others). More on this soon.

For More Info Visit:
https://mysticcircle-official.com
https://www.facebook.com/MysticCircleOfficial
https://www.instagram.com/mystic_circle_official