(Today we present Comrade Aleks‘ interview of Graf von Beelzebub from the long-running German black metal band Mystic Circle. They have been on a creative hot streak, with a just-released album named Kriegsgötter MMXXV following up 2023’s Erzdämon, and yet another album headed for release this coming Halloween. So, lot’s to talk about.)
Well, it’s a kind of an awkward situation, because the interview with one of the oldest German black metal bands Mystic Circle was initiated due to their new release Kriegsgötter MMXXV, which was scheduled on June 6th by Rock of Angels. Indeed it is a kind of compilation, and the band’s followers find there a lot of well-known covers and other stuff, and the band updated this material and you’ll read about it in the interview below.
But during the interview it was discovered that Graf von Beelzebub (vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards) and A. Blackwar (drums, guitars, keyboards) had prepared new album, Hexenbrand 1486. And we’ve dug out a few facts about it as well.
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Hail Beelzebub! How are you? What’s going on in your camp?
Hello guys. We are good and excited ’cause we finished the recordings of the new album Hexenbrand 1486 which will be released Halloween ’25 on RPM Roar worldwide. Also there are several videos for the promotion of the new album in the making and we are currently putting together a live band for activities to start in 2026 worldwide.
Hexenbrand 1486? Sounds like a concept album, is it?
It’s a kind of. There are three songs which are a concept about Heinrich Kramer who was one of the cruelest inquisitors of that time and also the author of the Hexenhammer Maleus Malleficarum which has killed thousands of innocent people in the name of the church. There is much more to talk about, so you have to do an interview for the release of the album again with us.
What kind of videos do you prepare? Will it be lyric videos or something like mini-films, you know?
There are coming four to five videos to promote the album which are not lyric videos. They are all in the style of mini films and the first single will be out in June ’25. It starts a series of videos in the case of the new album.
Can you reveal some more details about Hexenbrand 1486?
Yes, the new album carries on the special musical style of Blackwar and myself but has much more classic heavy influences played in the disharmonic way. But as is said before. much more to talk in a main interview later that year if you are interested.
Two years ago you released Mystic Circle’s ninth full-length album Erzdämon, and it got its portion of well-deserved recognition. Were you satisfied with the way the band followed after that? Do you see this album as a next logical step after all those years?
Yes indeed, we are very satisfied with the production and it’s the special style we both create when Blackwar and myself come together. It’s a mixture between extreme metal and heavy metal which we play in the disharmonic way. Also there are lots of horror samples and dark keyboard sounds in it. The cover artwork from Raphael Tavares fits totally in our style and with Nils Lesser we have a perfect companion for the production in the studio.
Mystic Circle has a kind of controversial reputation, so how do you see the Kriegsgötter MMXXV release which is positioned as an almost full-length album?
We have fulfilled what we didn’t finish in 2000 cause Blackwar left the band. The cover artwork is overdone in a much more perfect way, we have finished the Iron Maiden cover version, it’s remastered by Alex Krull from Atrocity, and it’s on vinyl out now, strictly limited to 300.
One could say that the Kriegsgötter series started back in 1996 with the release of the single Kriegsgötter – Der Weg nach Walhall, then it was extended by the Kriegsgötter II EP, and now it has grown to the size of the LP. Why do you still stick to this theme?
Kriegsgötter MMXXV is an album with cover versions from bands we both adore, and we did the versions in the Mystic Circle way. The album is a tribute to our Heros in metal and we used a demo song and a song which our keyboarder Baalsulgor did at the time. A very cool atmospheric soundtrack.
Some covers you chose for Kriegsgötter seem to be obvious ones – Acheron, Celtic Frost, Possessed. But some… let’s take for example Iron Maiden’s “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”… what resonated with you in this song?
Blackwar was a little away from Iron Maiden in the early nineties and then came Fear of the Dark and A Real Live One which includes this great song “Afraid to Shoot Strangers”. We listened to it in the car over and over again and the idea was to do a cover version of that. Sadly, at that time it didn’t come to the recordings and we had the great opportunity to do it almost 24 years later.
How did it happen that Sarah Jezebel Deva appears in this song? Was it a coincidence as I read, or a part of some bigger plan?
We just thought that her voice completely fits in our version as we started to record the song, so we contacted her. She was great with it and did a great job as always. Sarah is a friend of the band for a long time now and also back in business again with the great The Kovenant.
How did you decide to cover “Cry Little Sister” from The Lost Boys movie? It’s an iconic piece of gothic culture — were you ever involved in this movement?
‘Cause we both are movie freaks and that is a great monument of ’80s vampire art. One of the best movies in that genre. We loved the song and we did a version in our style of it. In the meantime, many cover versions of that song have been released over the years but we did it in the ‘90s where it was something special. We are in contact with the gothic scene from time to time. For example, on our new album Hexenbrand 1486, Karo from Umbra et Imago has many guest appearances. Also we are always in contact with people who are passionate with the dark mystical side.
Being fans of horror movies, can you recommend some new ones you personally like the most? Or do you prefer to re-watch VHS classics?
There are so many great horror movies to name. We prefer Dario Argento or Fulci but also old Hammer movies. We are collectors and have a few VHS classics left but mostly DVD mediabooks in limited editions. Blackwar brought me back, collecting horror movies and vinyl stuff. He has a big horror and vinyl collection at home with amazing very rare releases. So I am addicted to in collecting that shit -)
The band is known with its straight anti-Christian or purely satanic message, and yet you chose Bathory’s “One Rode to Asa Bay” hit with its historical, Viking era vibe. The song is killer, no doubt, but “The Rite of Darkness” for example… Wouldn’t it be more natural for Mystic Circle?
No, ’cause we also like Bathory‘s viking area and the song “One Road To Asa Bay” is a great masterpiece of art. It was a big challenge to record that song and we are proud and satisfied to get it done exactly how we had it in our minds.
Quorthon was known as a trickster who changed his position and beliefs a few times through his career, or so he said. How firm are you in your intention to stay true to your Mystic Circle’s essence? And how would you summarize it, by the way? What’s the band’s cultural or spiritual code?
The sign of Satan is still a very strong sign all over the years for us now. It stands against the conservative institutions like the holy church but is also a sign to meditate and inspire us. We are all in all impassioned by mystical stories, demons, and other dark stuff. Our inspirations we get from books, movies, and visiting ancient places with a historical or dark background.
The band’s first full-length Morgenröte – Der Schrei nach Finsternis was released almost 30 years ago, in 1996. How little of that Mystic Circle is left now?
Many things are involved ’cause its our special sound we both create. For example the way we play the disharmonic melody lines, the way we use samples and other dark keyboard stuff, the way we do concepts and themes about the songs and the layout. Also we have involved other artists in the songs from the beginning till now. We are much better musicians and have much more experience nowadays but also the chance to have a better sound production with Nils Lesser now. But all in all we are the same maniacs like in the old days, only a little older.
Do you feel a kind of nostalgia for the turbulent ’90s with all those old conflicts and controversies? Do you keep in touch with some of the bands you played with back then? And did you bury the hatchet with some who criticized you?
We always concentrate on our self and on our art. There is no time to spend energy on such bullshit. We go our own way and concentrate to be the best as we can for our music. Mystic Circle don’t talk or bitch about other people.
What are your further plans for the rest of 2025? Do you have some new songs to record?
A new album Hexenbrand 1486 is coming out Halloween ’25. Lots of videos and singles for that also. It will come out on RPM Roar worldwide and we will start to play gigs all over the continent with guest musicians in 2026. So we are very busy at this time.