Prison of Mirrors-Prison of Mirrors Review

1. The Scent Of The Severed Hand
2. A Destiny Unforseen
3. The Fallen Leaves Have Turned
4. Procession Of Ghosts
5. Snow Stained Red
6. As Rivers Crest

These days it seems that the post/blackgazing metal scene is on the rise and with that comes a lot of clones and stagnant bands just doing a lot of tantamount ideas. Furthermore, there are a lot of bands that don't seem to stand out. One band that I can assure that will stand out from the lot is this new band I discovered. Prison of Mirrors, perhaps taken from an Xasthur song, or probably not, is a post black metal band hailing from Seattle, Washington. With the release of the self titled album debut, Prison of Mirrors, released on April of 2011, composer Nick Brandt does his best to show the world with his triumphant musicianship that one can achieve such status. In comparison to other bands, Prison of Mirrors I would say is a fusion of Wolves in the Throne Room, Opeth, and perhaps a small amount of Alcest. Unlike most bands in the genre the songs on this album have a nice build up to them as well as a progressive side throughout. Also I would like to point out that the vocals on this album have a more death growl type vox ala Opeth rather than the usual shrieking and screaming. There are also some clean vocals like on the track Snow Red Stained which are a bit light, however they define the track a bit more with emotion. Also take the epic track, As Rivers Crest, where the mixture of vocals are at its pinnacle displaying raw emotional power with a nice build up. The guitars overall are also pretty top notch. The melodies vary from aggression, progression, a hint of melancholy, and at times catchy. Tracks like A Destiny Unforseen and The Fallen Leaves Have Turned are sure to have the ear in tune with its progressive guitar melodies and sounds. One flaw that one will notice will probably be the constant repetitive pounding of the drums on some of the tracks as the album comes to an end. The drums seem to be in a more constant, dominant and prominent role. Still, overall, the music is good.

In summation, the album is pretty stellar and has a few flaws but still this is an excellent debut. So what do we get with Prison of Mirrors? Not your typical post black metal sound. Prison of Mirrors displays a nice array of melodic aggression while conjuring it with beautiful and dismal sounds of the black arts.

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Bandcamp:Prison of Mirrors

Review by Vyldr