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  • Eucharist - Mirrorworlds

    Eucharist - Mirrorworlds
    1997 WAR Records

    review

Eucharist - Mirrorworlds

1997 WAR Records :: Reviewed by rofreason on 2005-07-06

There are just some albums where upon hearing the first chord progression, you know that you will just be blown away. Mirrorworld does exactly that. As with every great album, there is something extra which sets it apart, and I've been trying for days over repeated listens to figure out what is so damn good about this album. First off, this doesn't sound like an album recorded in 1997. The production seems intentionally thicker and less precise, the ride cymbal is way loud in the mix, and the overall tone screams 80's for some reason. Yet it works, and these are exactly the points that will make Mirrorworld age gracefully. The absence of crystal clear digital production allows a certain warmth and melody to flow which is absent from so much today, and makes for a very emotional album. Unmistakably though, this is death metal, from the rapid fire double bass/ blast beat attack to the tortured scream vocals, which will surely push this into the hands of many a hardcore fan. Another element added here is the beat displacement in the mid-tempo sections, which changes the whole feel of the song. Instead of the accents on 2 and 4, as in traditional rock, they're a half beat later, and this is I guess where having the ride cymbal so prominent pays off, for it keeps the listener right in place with the song. There is a definite theme to the album, and ideas do tend to run throughout, but there is no sense of repitition (for me). The instrumental In Nakedness is an abrupt change, sounding more like In A Silent Way era Miles Davis than anything else. Almost haunting at times, Mirrorworld is up there with the best of the recent releases, and is mandatory listening.