Lingering in the unknown regions of the galaxy for many years, Pennsylvania’s Vis Mystica has returned to known space to unleash an onslaught of music that has not been seen for a thousand generations: Jedi Metal! Influenced heavily by power metal, but also partly by thrash, black, and death metal bands, Vis Mystica offers escapism from everyday life and transportation into a fantastical world of magical powers and epic stories through their debut EP Celestial Wisdom and the most recent single “Legacy Of The Builders” featuring David Michael Moote of Operus and Ty Christian of Lords of the Trident.
They explain the track:
“Builders is a more cynical track that introduces our villains; the brutal Rakatan Empire. This song outlines the arrogance of this race and their quest for not only dominance, but their desire to be truly immortal and have a galaxy of slaves to build monuments to their glory and dominance.”
Vis Mystica comes from the mind of Pennsylvania’s Connor McCray, who is a massive fan of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and its various lore. So far, all of his lyrics have been his retelling of the Dawn of the Jedi comics from Dark Horse Comics. It’s been a long time coming and now he is ready to unleash the debut EP “Celestial Wisdom” upon the galaxy on December 2nd, 2022 via Dark Star Records. The EP is produced by Chad Anderson (Helion Prime) and so far, three singles have been released to tantalize listeners far and wide.
“Whispering Winds Of Fate” ft. Jonas Heidgert (Dragonland) is the intro song and the shortest song on the EP. It serves as a guide to the main world in which the story takes place - Tython. This song describes the sentient world calling out telepathically to beings spread throughout the galaxy to board ships and come bask in the planet’s knowledge and secrets.
“The Plains Of Silence” takes us back to Tython to the Silent Desert, where all sound is nullified and students can meditate on the power of the world. This was the first song written for the EP and definitely has a much more “happy” feel than many of the other songs McCray has written.
“Lux Et Veritas” is another kind of “happy” song but the lyrics tell a completely different story. This song is based on the prisoner Daegen Lok, who was exiled for prophesying a coming war between the Rakatans and the people of Tython.
“We are trying to provide fans with escapism from everyday life and transportation into a fantastical world of magical powers and epic stories. We expect the EP to be received very well; while we take great influence from other bands we are quite confident that we possess a style that is somewhat unique in the Power Metal landscape,” the band comments.
Vis Mystica is recommended for Star Wars fans and those who like Rhapsody, Blind Guardian, and Iron Maiden. They also have a crowdfunding campaign set up for the EP. Head here.
Pre-order the EP here.
Tracklisting:
"Whispering Winds Of Fate" (feat. Jonas Heidgert - Dragonland)
"Legacy Of The Builders" (feat. David Michael Moote - Operus and Ty Christian - Lords of the Trident)
"The Plains Of Silence"
"Lux Et Veritas" (feat. David Michael Moote - Operus)
"Beyond The Gates Of Fury"
CD Bonus Tracks:
"The Plains Of Silence" (2020 Demo feat. Jesse Isadore)
"Introitus" (2016 Demo)
"Secrets Of The Maps" (2016 Instrumental Demo)
"Legacy Of The Builders":
EP Credits:
• All songs performed by: Vis Mystica
• All songs written by: Connor McCray
• Produced by: Chad Anderson
• Mixed by: Chad Anderson
• Mastered by: Chad Anderson
• EP Artwork by: Cody Bucher
EP band lineup:
Connor McCray - Guitar, Bass, Orchestration
Devin Dewyer - Vocals
Dillon Trollope - Drums
