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Miseration: The Mirroring Shadow Death Metal Lifeforce Records November 16th, 2009
Originally posted on January 5th, 2010 | ||
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Review
Miseration is the band that is more noted for being the side project that former Scar Symmetry vocalist Christian Älvestam decided to concentrate on when Scar Symmetry's other members refused to change up the formula for their releases, or so the story goes. While the first Miseration album clearly picked up religious topics and inner struggles, The Mirroring Shadow, the band's second release, clearly shows that the effects of Scar Symmetry are not yet forgotten in either the lyrics or the music. All that being said, is it fair to look at The Mirroring Shadow and proclaim it a rip off of a band that has already been established? Not one bit. While the first three Scar Symmetry albums shook up the metal world up, it was also due to the label that the act was signed too that allowed for so much fuel to hit the fire. Miseration, now signed to Lifeforce Records, may not have the same exposure, but this release is still guaranteed to shake up as much ground as possible. This pure-Death Metal romp is absolutely intense right from the start thanks to the many technical elements presented in songs like "Blueprinted Aeon Collapse", and a few moments of ambience brought on by the guitars, such as during the blistering "A Trail Blazed Through Time". And if the music isn't technical or ambient, it's just a straight forward assault on tracks like "Dreamdecipher" and "Voyaging The Seas Of Thought". There really are not that many moments on the album where the music that comes at you isn't as if it was spit out of a machine gun, but usually when that happens it works with the flow of the song. Take "Imago 2.0" for example, when it goes from absolutely insane and gradually slows down to close out the song with a guitar solo in the background. But, even though those moments are few and far between, some could very well consider them mock-breakdowns because of just how slow they get, and how stereotypical they are to some of today's more well known Metalcore and Deathcore acts. While this really isn't much of an issue and can be shrugged off, the slower guitar riffs used for the chorus on "Sulphury Sun" kind of mess with the flow of the song. A good majority of it is blistering blast beats and a few musical change ups that keep that same speed and intensity, and then out of nowhere comes this mock-breakdown change up not once, but twice. Either way, the song is still worth checking out, especially for the best guitar solo off the entire album. Aside the moments where it sounds as if Miseration may be performing some sort of breakdown, The Mirroring Shadow is one hell of an intense Death Metal ride from start to finish. While this rounded out the year for some areas, it won't hit the States until early 2010, making this one of the more important early releases of the year. If you're looking for some pure Death Metal that will grab you by the throat and refuse to let go until the bitter end, then The Mirroring Shadow is an absolute must for your collection.
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