Hamburg is home to several death metal bands, one of which is Messticator. The band formed in 2019 and released their debut album, “Forthcoming Revelation,” in 2022. The album propelled the band to the attention of Testimony Records.
Their second album, “Total Mastery,” came out on the label and allowed the band to reach a wider group of metalheads. The eleven-song album, with a running time of 53 minutes, features raw death metal.
“The Pit Awaits…” is the title of a short introduction to “…The Pitslayer.” The latter is a blasting start to the album. The new frontman, Thomas Thede, is an interesting addition to the Hamburg-based metal force. Already “…The Pitslayer” shows a growler that fits perfectly. His barking vocals add to the intensity of the opener and the entire album.
“Higher Ground” is a metallic frenzy. The band pushes the pedal to the metal, adding thrash metal references for a stunning flow.
A grooving bass kicks off “One-Shot-Kills.” This dense, hard-hitting song shows that the band’s arsenal goes beyond frantic speed, a quality that also defines “Ruins of Reason.” The atmospheric start evolves into a five-minute death metal storm. “Deathtouch” also showcases a more versatile approach. The six-minute stomper is the longest track on the album, showcasing pure power and substantial riffing. Smartly placed breaks add to the flow of this death metal anthem.
Messticator maintain a consistently high level of quality, so the finale with “The Tyrant’s Scepter” and “Cougar Claws (Return of the Leathermilf)” also lives up to the album’s standards. With “Cougar Claws (Return of the Leathermilf),” the band added a continuation of “Leathermilf” from the debut album to the tracklist. This song has more melodic elements than most of the others and stands out with a sense of humor.
Messticator has made a big step forward. “Total Mastery” is a powerful, savage death metal album from a band that blends aggressive death metal with traditional metal elements and subtle melody lines. Listening to the album is pure fun, and headbanging is guaranteed, helping Messticator climb up the ladder.
Tracklist:
- The Pit Awaits…
- …The Pitslayer
- High Ground
- One-Shot-Kill
- Ruins of Reason
- Bloodsport
- Mass Human Extinction
- Skeletal Thorns
- Deathtouch
- The Tyrant’s Scepter
- Cougar Claws (Return of the Leathermilf)
Label: Testimony Records
Genre: Death Metal
Release Date EU: March 13th, 2026
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