UMUR
"Mirage Myth" is a compilation album by Finnish thrash/death metal act Phlegethon. The compilation was released through Floga Records in May 2020. It compiles the material from the October 1989 "Visio Dei Beatifica" demo, the June 1990 "Neutral Forest" demo, and from the 1991 "Fresco Lungs" EP, excluding the two bonus tracks from the 1992 reissue of the EP. The material from the three releases compiled on "Mirage Myth" plus the two bonus tracks from the 1992 reissue if the "Fresco Lungs" EP, the material from the 1995 demo, the 2006 demo, and from the 2007 demo, and an exclusive demo 2008 demo track, which hasn´t appeared anywhere else were compiled and released in January 2010 on the "Drifting in the Crypt" compilation album, so you won´t get anything new on "Mirage Myth" if you already own "Drifting in the Crypt".
What makes Phlegethon special other than their music, is that they are one of the seminal proto-death metal acts from Finland along with Sacred Crucifix and A.R.G. None of them played pure death metal during their orginal late 80s/early 90s runs, but they played a raw, aggressive, and brutal type of thrash metal which greatly influenced the then burgeoning Finnish death metal scene. The most fast-paced and aggressive Slayer is an obvious influence on the early Phlegethon demos. Then on "Fresco Lungs", Phlegethon suddenly shifted gears playing an eclectic death/doom/thrash metal style with growling vocals.
It´s arguably the material from the demos which is worth the price of admission when purchasing "Mirage Myth". Incredibly powerful, fast-paced, aggressive, and brutal thrash metal from the late 80s/early 90s delivered by a skilled band, who also understood how to incorporate a little variation to their otherwise pummeling sound. The 10:06 minutes long "Encapsulation of the Ark of the Covenant" from the "Visio Dei Beatifica" demo is the best example of that, but most of the material from the "Neutral Forest" demo is also quite unconventional thrash metal. The material from "Fresco Lungs" is on the other hand a bit confusing and sounds like a band going through the motions. It´s an intriguing release with lots of interesting ideas, but they don´t really work together to create a well sounding whole. Overall "Mirage Myth" is still a good quality compilation and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.