INTERVIEW WITH BEELZEBUB BY JILLIAN DRACHMAN
Germany’s celebrated extreme metal institution Mystic Circle, founded in 1992, has crafted a bewitching new album, Hexenbrand 1486. Mystic Circle represents the shared vision and passion of Beelzebub and A. Blackwar. On Hexenbrand 1486, Beelzebub handles vocals, guitars, bass, and keys, while A. Blackwar contributes drums, guitars, and keys. We were thrilled to discuss Hexenbrand 1486 with Beelzebub, who rightly expresses his pride in his latest accomplishment. We agree with him that on this thoroughly gripping, adrenaline-boosting record, “There are only killers, no fillers.”
Beelzebub guides us through the typical genesis of his offerings, “The normal process is that either I or Blackwar comes up with some ideas. Then, we meet in our rehearsal room in Blackwar’s studio. We don’t rehearse like a common band — we start immediately recording. We make the guitars and the basslines. Blackwar makes the drums. So, the demos normally have guitar, bass, drums, and vocals. When we do the demos, we talk about the keyboards, and we add the samples. We listen to what we’ve done and talk about everything. It’s necessary to discuss the lyrics to get into the right mood. When you start a song, it’s like a sketch for a painting. We work until the songs have all the colors they need.” Beelzebub praises producer and engineer Nils Lesser, “He isn’t, but I always say that he’s the third member of Mystic Circle. He’s a very good musician, and he helps us out a lot with his input.” Beelzebub clarifies, “We work with the songs for a very long time.”
“The plan for Hexenbrand 1486 was to do a whole concept album about the Holy Inquisitions, the Holy Church, and Heinrich Kramer. He was the writer of the Malleus Maleficarum — this book says that witches should be burned and tortured. We wrote about this perverted Heinrich Kramer, who is the origin of the evil, and we dedicated these songs to all of the women, to all of the witches with the black souls, the innocent ladies, who were burned and tortured because of nothing but stupid ideology. We created a little story about a mother witch who places a curse on Heinrich Kramer.”
Beelzebub describes Hexenbrand 1486 as part of a trilogy that also includes Mystic Circle’s epic self-titled work, which arrived in time for the band’s 30th anniversary and landed in the German charts, and 2023’s Erzdämon. “Because this trilogy is set partially in the Middle Ages, we use a bit of samples from old movies, some voices. We love to play with that, and it’s a big part of what we call ‘The Mystic Circle Universe.’” The use of samples on Hexenbrand 1486 is indeed exceptionally effective. Mystic Circle decided to add even more dimension and contrast to Hexenbrand 1486 by diving into tales outside the main theme — they brought us “Boogeyman”; “Ghost of Whitechapel,” exploring the story of Jack the Ripper from the killer’s perspective and mining special inspiration from Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell’s From Hell; and “The Scarlet Queen of the Harlots,” which is about the unholy mother Babalon.
When approaching Hexenbrand 1486, it is important to remember that, as Beelzebub states, he and Blackwar have invented their own style. Some, including myself, consider it a special niche of black metal. Beelzebub, of course, has a preference for “bombastic and brutal productions.” Mystic Circle’s songs are furthermore distinguished by their catchiness, and the duo really focuses on crafting unforgettable melody lines. Beelzebub notes his fondness for everything from Paradise Lost to classical music, thus demonstrating his impeccable taste. He continues, “We play heavy metal in a very dark way. The lyrics are influenced by Satanic stuff, demonic stuff, mystery, and horror — we love horror soundtracks, and we are movie freaks. We are always inspired. We are like detectives. If you come to us with an ancient story, or a mystery, or a ghost story, we do the research. Here, in our area, we have very dark old stories. We have lots of castles, and we visit those places. Each song you hear is like a movie for us.”
The frontman further explains, “We play with characters. For example, on this album, we have a female singer named Karoline Hafke who played different characters. In the earlier days, she was on our ‘Cry Little Sister’ cover.” For that amazing cover and others, experience Kriegsgötter MMXXV (2025), which moreover includes Sarah Jezebel Deva, also known for her work with the likes of Cradle of Filth and The Kovenant. Sarah Jezebel Deva’s history with Mystic Circle dates back to Infernal Satanic Verses (1999), and she appears on Hexenbrand 1486. Beelzebub confirms, “She’s a friend, and she’s family.” The voice, intellect, and talent as a visual artist of Natalie Ostermaier (author and illustrator of the book Kramer) likewise enhance Hexenbrand 1486.
Beelzebub emphasizes, “When something is going out to the public, it’s 100% us. It’s our soul; it’s our blood. That means everything from the artwork to the layout to the merchandise.” Mystic Circle collaborated with friends to create stunning videos for Hexenbrand 1486’s singles. Beelzebub tells us that Blackwar writes the storylines. He conveys his satisfaction with the film teams and impressive results attained. The videos reaffirm Mystic Circle’s charisma, which is one reason to make sure you attend their live shows. Beelzebub comments, “When we go onstage, we give our hearts. We stand behind each song, each note, and all of our lyrics completely.” Mystic Circle, who has shared the stage with countless other greats, will be devoting quite a lot of time to their ambitious international tour plans.
Fortunately, Beelzebub reveals that he and Blackwar have already crafted 10 demo tracks for their next album. The coming year will mark the 30th anniversary of Mystic Circle’s phenomenal, thrilling, and eccentric full-length debut, Morgenröte — Der Schrei nach Finsternis. Hence, Mystic Circle will be honoring Morgenröte in either 2026 or 2027 with a reissue featuring new drums and some updates to the guitars. Eventually, Mystic Circle will additionally unleash part two of the symphonic Drachenblut (1998). We are also very excited about Mystic Circle’s plan to cover Marilyn Manson’s “The Beautiful People.” While Hexenbrand 1486 might have closed the circle of one trilogy, as mentioned, Mystic Circle is destined to spawn new triumphs down the road on their spiral path.
Order Hexenbrand 1486 here, and follow Mystic Circle on Instagram here.
