MIRRELIA

Mirrelia is a band I've been into for a while now. I first discovered them by trawling last.fm, searching for progressive artists. Up popped Mirrelia in the queue, and it was over from then on. Personally, my favorite song is now 'Brassdame,' though it used to be 'Tearless Child,' another favorite of mine.

The album starts off with 'Brassdame,' and I don't think it could've begun in better fashion; the powerful-yet-atmospheric opening to the song is incredibly well done, and the juxtaposition between heavy, accentuated hits and melodic lighter sections (lots of this throughout their music) really brings this music to another level. Unfortunately, you also get a showcase of the singer's fairly obvious lisp, which does break my immersion into the songs every now and then. However, it is more than made up for by his incredible range and flawless tone, and even his harsh vocals are perfectly executed, as shown on 'East of Eden,' the second track, and 'Stray,' the fourth. These two tracks, the shortest of the six, build up Mirrelia's sense of metal, which they likely held over from the influence they got from their old Closed for Tonight tenures. 'East of Eden' uses this heaviness (juxtaposed with plenty of melodicism) to paint a very hopeful sound. 'Stray,' however, plays light and dark tones against eachother in an oppressive and heavy way that creates a genuine sense of looming dread.

Three tracks down, three to go! The third track up, 'Mirrored,' features a very melodic guitar that plays a counter melody to the vocals for a good portion of the song, playing a heavy, syncopated rhythm for the verses. This song also gives us our first look at their use of the piano, to very great effect during the calm passages. 'Tearless Child,' my former favorite, displays this piano throughout, featuring also some of the best vocals I've ever heard, and one of the most engaging drum beats I've ever heard in a ballad. The bassist really gets a lot of recognition and props on this one, too, as his walking bassline is quite complex and interesting to listen to. Finally, the last track, 'Sapphire Touch,' is the track I've listened to the least number of times on the album, but it is by no means the least appreciated. It has a very mellow, haunting feel to the calm passages (as we've heard before), which is very nicely juxtaposed with some heavy, syncopated rhythms (also showcased earlier in the album), and more of that walking bassline and mellow piano from earlier as well. This is a great way to close out the work (even a rockin' guitar solo in there, too!), adding up all that came before it in a way that sounds very final and polished, the entire album sounding quite polished, at that.

In closing, Mirrelia is a very promising young band with a very refined, complex sound that I have certainly come to appreciate immensely in even such a short time of having listened to them and with only six songs to choose from. I can say with the utmost confidence that Mirrelia will delight any listener fond of progressive hard rock/metal, and I reccommend them to friends all the time - I encourage you to do the same!