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Mystik is a nearly all-female (there's a guy named Sven Nilsson on drums) Speed/Heavy Metal act hailing from Stockholm, Sweden. This foursome has been around for less than three years, but they already sound pretty badass, playing a nice and hungry blend of Speed and Heavy Metal on their self-titled debut.

I don't know what's in the Swedish drinking water, but almost every time when you get to hear a new band coming from Sweden, they all seem to range from good to really good. Mystik easily fall into this good category, having this fresh yet old-school approach to their music that sounds like it came out of an '80s time capsule. Musically, they remind me distantly of early Exciter, Omen, Warlock and Original Sin (Bitches from Hell, anyone?), all topped off with the memorizing, witch-like voice of bassist/vocalist Julia von Krusenstjerna, which adds an extra twist of sheer evil on top of some nicely executed speedy Heavy Metal anthems. Songs like "Bleed of the Night" will make you fall in love with their fierce, catchy songwriting as much as I did.

If you need a reminder for what makes good ol' fashioned Metal work so well, look no further than Mystik.