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It used to be called country & western. Then two or three decades ago, for reasons I’m sure the ethnographers still debate, it just became country music. Western just sort of slipped out of the vernacular, except for maybe a strip of North America from around Calgary to somewhere near El Paso. Fortunately, there’s still […]

Out 5th June via Hammerheart Records Hammerheart Records have announced the re-issue of Viking metal outfit Mithotyn‘s debut album In the Sign of the Ravens. The 1997 classic, remastered by Nightside Audio (God Macabre, Skymning) will be out on 5th June via the label.  Pre-orders are available HERE. After releasing four demo tapes, Mithotyn finally put out their first full-length album in 1997. In the Sign of the Ravens delivers a […]

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German atmospheric black metal act WANDAR presents the first offering from their upcoming new album “Tiefe Erde” (Vendetta Records) with the release of the lyric video for their new single “Trug”. As the album’s debut single, the track sets the tone for what’s to come – immersive, emotionally charged, and steeped in the band’s signature blend of […]

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Following the successful reissues of “Kings Of Beer,” “Disco Destroyer,” “Himbeergeist Zum Frühstück,” and most recently “The Beauty And The Beer” and “Thirst,” the exclusive reissue series of Tankard continues into its next chapter. This time, the focus is on Vo(l)lume 14 — originally released in 2010 via AFM Records, the classic album now returns in a […]

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ANTIPOPE reveal a new music video to celebrate their 7th album Finnish progressive metal outfit ANTIPOPE has released a new music video for “Doors of the Dead,” the title track from their latest album of the same name. The video marks a decisive closing chapter for the “Doors of the Dead” (2024) era, following the band’s […]

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As much as metal is a niche interest (at least in my part of the world), it is a vast ecosystem. Following it is a joy, but it’s always a bit humbling to come across a group you’ve never heard of with a long history. Mirror of Deception have been around since 1993. Transience is their sixth full-length release, and even this blog has not heard their name up until this point. That can be a bit daunting as a reviewer, lacking context and missing a big element of what makes a band their band. On the other hand, I get an opportunity to listen to some classic-style doom metal and just kind of say what I think and see how this review ends up from there. So that’s the plan! Let’s listen to some doom metal.

Transience treads an interesting line between doom and more traditional metal. Conceptually, it’s a fairly bleak listen, with intense riffs driving urgency, despair, and anger. Michael Siffermann and Jochen Fopp are strong guitarists, whether channeling dramatic endings, as in the bleak “Haven,” or broader, slower peaks in “The Sands.” On the other hand, their music is lively; Uwe Kurz’s drumming is dynamic and animated, Pascal Schrade’s bass comparatively bright across Transience’s gritty, aggrieved sound. The aforementioned “The Sands” is a good example; for four minutes, Mirror of Deception play a dramatic, slow-build, mid-tempo song that then transforms with a lively, almost bright riff that jumps up that tempo and really gets the head nodding. It all fits, and it all works—an often-woeful, sometimes brighter skip across doom themes with a lively backdrop that comes from confidence and experience.

What fit less well, I’m sad to say, are the vocal melodies. I’m not sure who, between Schrade and Siffermann, is the lead vocalist, but his singing is over-produced and at odds with the music behind him. Opener “Death, Deliver Us,” for example, is a dark, heavy, distorted soundscape of anguish, but the singing consistently fails to match that atmosphere. I was surprised to read the lyrics to the song, in fact, and discover the singer is seemingly meant to be a sea captain fighting a losing battle against stormy seas. I got none of that from the way those words are sung, and while I wouldn’t argue that the singing is bad by any stretch, I would say the performance lacks the gravitas that the rest of the band and production are aiming for, and the effects layered on that performance further remove it from where I’d want it to be. On slower, calmer songs, this is much less of an issue. “Slow Winds,” for example, effectively captures a feeling of uneasiness that benefits from a straightforward vocal performance.

Transience is only forty-three minutes long, but I feel there isn’t enough variety from song to song for it to avoid feeling a touch overlong. This may be another offshoot of the vocal performance—all of the hooks I can recall offhand are riffs—or it may just be that Mirror of Deception play a fairly straightforward brand of doom metal, one that enjoys a bleak, if upbeat, atmosphere and doesn’t focus so much on catchiness¹ in any form. The result is an album that is generally enjoyable in the moment, but doesn’t make a big enough impact for genuine memorability.

On Transience, Mirror of Deception do a lot of good things and play a lot of good music. But I can’t help feeling it doesn’t quite come together as an album. I can see myself returning to individual songs more than Transience itself, and that’s a shame. I can hear the experience of the players, feel the maturity of the group, but the music just isn’t resonating like I know it should. The result, for me at least, is a mixed experience and a new band worth keeping an eye on.

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Rating: 2.5/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Self release
Websites: mirrorofdeception-doom.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/pages/mirror-of-deception
Releases Worldwide: March 27th, 2026

The post Mirror of Deception – Transience Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Within The Flesh out today via Soulseller Records Black metal outfit Doedsvangr have released their third full-length, Within The Flesh, today, 10th April via Soulseller Records. Listen to Within The Flesh here: https://youtu.be/8_pF_oHGICoOrder Within The Flesh here: World: https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.comUS: https://soulsellerrecords.aisamerch.com Hailed by Doedsadmiral as their “most bizarre and raw album to date“, Within The Flesh is a relentless journey. Unusual, eccentric, and uncompromising. Forged in the Nordic underground, Doedsvangr have carved a singular path through […]

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Upon its release, it became their first single to chart in the U.S. Continue reading…

Luxembourg-based melodic black/death metal force ÆoniK is glad to share the music video for “Beyond,” taken from the band’s upcoming album “The Roamer of Heaven and Hell” out on April 30th via Fetzner Death Records. Watch the video of “Beyond” here: https://tinyurl.com/39ndverh Pre-order the new album: Digipak: https://tinyurl.com/5bj7cnyb Cassette: https://tinyurl.com/8dhyaxsr Bandcamp: https://tinyurl.com/52dmx637 ÆoniK stated about the new track: ““Beyond” describes the moment of awakening in a seemingly perfect, almost divine world. […]

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Coachella kicked off yesterday, with Sabrina Carpenter headlining and Slayyyter drawing a big crowd for her much-hyped new album WOR$T GIRL IN AMERICA. The night also had Turnstile’s first performance since former guitarist Brady Ebert was charged with attempted murder of Brendan Yates’ father. The set began with a recording of Yates’ father.

The post Turnstile Open Coachella Set With Recording Of Brendan Yates’ Father appeared first on Stereogum.