MYSTIC-FORCE - Take Command LP RED (Pre-Order)

Available: 19 Sep 2025
High Roller Records, red vinyl, ltd 250, 425gsm heavy cardboard cover, 4 page insert

Audio restoration and mastering by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in September 2024

Bobby Hicks - vocals
Rich Davis - guitar
Keith Menser (R.I.P. 2022) - bass/keyboards
Chris Lembach - drums

Mystic Force were a progressive power metal band from Baltimore in Maryland. After recording a few demo tapes they went on to sign with German label Rising Sun Productions releasing two full-length albums: »The Eternal Quest« (1993) and »A Step Beyond« (1995). This was followed by »Man Vs. Machine« on the band’s own Siegen Records in 2001. After the demise of Mystic Force, drummer Chris Lembach and guitarist Rich Davis formed the band Shift and recorded two albums with them. After that Rich started his own solo project (playing all the instruments himself and even singing), before he once again got a band together and released the »Inside The Upside Down« CD (2024).Mystic Force were originally formed in 1984 by guitarists Rich Davis and Marc Rouchard together with bass player Keith Menser. The band went through several line-up changes early on before finding Chris Lembach (drums) and Bobby Hicks (vocals).In 1987, the band issued their first (self-titled) demo tape, which was followed by another tape release, »Blind Vision«, in 1988.Having sold huge quantities of their self-financed demos (the first four-track cassette was said to have shifted no less than 5,000 copies) it was time for Mystic Force to come up with their first vinyl release. This was realized in 1990 through C.M.F.T. Records in England. The original »Take Command« album featured the 1987 4-track demo on Side B and four brand new compositions on the A-Side: “Take Command”, “Awakened By The Dawn”, “Immortal Souls” and “Silent But Deadly” (all four to be found on this compilation).Later the same year, Mystic Force issued the 12” single “Shipwrecked With The Wicked”/”Eternal Quest” on their own Pro-duction label, a limited edition numbered vinyl. “We were always printing something,” smirks Rich Davis. “It went from tape to vinyl to CD. Whatever the technology was at the time, then that was what we were putting our music on. Constantly promoting. We were a promoting machine.”“Shipwrecked With The Wicked” surely was the best song Mystic Force had written up to that point in their career. It had “single” written all over it, a very energetic and extremely catchy piece of music. “’Shipwrecked With The Wicked’ was definitely one of our biggest songs,” agrees the guitarist. “I hold that song very dear to my heart because that was one song that I can so clearly remember playing on stage standing right beside Keith through the middle section of the song. It was the highlight of out set for sure. It makes me think of Keith [who died in 2022] and Bobby [who left this world in 2013] and of course William [who passed away in 2020].”

MATTHIAS MADER

TRACK LISTING:
1 Take Command
2 Awakened by the Dawn
3 Immortal Souls
4 Silent but Deadly
5 Shipwrecked with the Wicked (1990 Demo)
6 Eternal Quest (1990 Demo)
7 Blind Vision (1988 Demo)
8 Dethroned (1988 Demo)