Mirror Of Deception
Mirrorsoil

After pleasantly discovering the German doomsters Dawn of Winter, I became more interested in this genre and its spread in Germany. It certainly doesn't have the importance it holds in Scandinavia, but slowly a large movement is developing, which also includes Mirror Of Deception.

A band from Esslingen made up of four members (five at the time of this album), Mirror Of Deception, as is typical, are attached to the main themes of doom metal: loneliness, existential and philosophical problems, difficulty in integrating into society, dissatisfaction, and so on. Emotional states that the band expresses through a derivative yet partially personal style. While there are no elements that stand out for originality, both the sound of the guitars and the importance given to the bass, as well as the deep voice of singer Mark Baumhauer, have contributed to avoid categorizing them in the gallery of those labeled as "already heard".

In a genre like doom where experimentation has already reached its limits and where most things have already been said (and played), the German band does nothing but replicate what others have done in the past, yet distancing themselves from big groups precisely because of that strange liquid sound of the guitars. The album expresses this with good effectiveness, mainly in the first part. Compositions such as "Asylum", "Veil of lead", and "Weiss" (sung entirely in German) effectively underline those themes and sounds that are the foundation of the doom movement.

Yet navigating through this album, which is not at all challenging in terms of exhaustion, one gets lost in a second part that is somewhat self-serving. "Be kept in suspense" starts well but then drags on with fairly futile vocal lines. Words upon words create a spiral with the instruments from which it is difficult to emerge. A different problem instead for "Dreams of misery" where the main voice and accompaniment generate a stew that is hard to digest even for ears most accustomed to this genre. On the other hand, "Float" concludes things with a suffocating rhythm and a voice finally suitable to recite what the instruments "write".

With Mirrosoil we are not facing anything striking. An honest doom album, albeit a bit too chaotic. The offering can still be accepted even by those who aren't well-versed in the genre: we are not in front of one of those overly depressive bands that cling to themselves. I don't feel like recommending it to everyone, but it is still a work that stands out amid the rest of the European musical chaos.

1. "Asylum" (5:53)
2. "Veil Of Lead" (5:46)
3. "Weiss" (5:35)
4. "Sole" (5:27)
5. "Be Kept In Suspense" (7:01)
6. "Dreams Of Misery" (4:13)
7. "Cease" (5:22)
8. "Float" (5:09)