MYSTERY BLUE – Conquer The World

The history of Mystery Blue dates back to 1982. This group of French classic Power Metal motivators was founded by guitarist Frenzy Philippon. The band released two albums in the 1980s and toured with big name acts like Motorhead and Def Leppard. Frenzy reformed the band in the mid 1990’s with lead vocalist Nathalie Geyer and continued to release four more successful albums through 2009. With their 7th full length album, Conquer The World, Mystery Blue puts together comprehensive persuasive assault destined to go toe-to-toe with any classic Power Metal band.

Being that Conquer The World was recorded and produced in Frankfurt, Germany by Uwe Lulis (ex-Grave Digger, Rebellion), the album has the very distinct sound of a German Power Metal band comparative to Primal Fear, Accept, or Edguy. They do not have the grandiose romantic quality heard in other modern day female fronted French Metal bands. Conquer The World is heavily riff driven with a direct vocal attack.

The main ingredient to the success of Mystery Blue belongs to vocalist Nathalie Geyer. Her brash and aggressive vocal style provides an uninhibited character to each track. Her singing style is most reminiscent of the male high-pitched Power Metal vocalists like Ralf Scheepers or Klaus Meine. Likewise, she is able to invoke the correct amount of sensitivity and emotional content required to make the songs energized.

The other key ingredient belongs to band founder, and guitarist Frenzy Philippon. The compositions are centered on the strong guitar riffs. Although the general songwriting might put out a somewhat dated style, Frenzy is able to incorporate a keyed up essence that delivers an effective and motivational performance. Frenzy is a decidedly talented musician who produces a high quality effort into his work. The only shortcoming to this effort would be the repeated instances of the vocals being drowned out by the loudly produced guitars. To this end, Geyer tends to stretch her vocal ability beyond her limits and inevitably comes off sounding awkward.

There are a couple of nice surprise compositions on Conquer The World that will set this album apart from their contemporaries. One of those being “Behind Those Walls,” which has an infectious Tony Iommi-like guitar riff, as well as a Thrash-like middle section and chorus that is both modern and extremely likeable. Another great track, “Guardian Angel,” is probably the heaviest song on the album. It also features a unique guitar riff that is enhanced with highly inspirational vocals.

Overall, Conquer The World is a quality album with many exceptional qualities. There are several tracks, especially during the middle of the album, when the sound becomes redundant and ordinary. However, there are enough stronger tracks to make the album quite formidable. Mystery Blue has the ability to be both an emotionally captivating band, as well as a Hardcore powerhouse. Not many bands carry those kind of credentials, and this band should be commended for their efforts.