Serpent Column - Mirror In Darkness - review
Serpent Column - Mirror In Darkness - review
Tracklist
01. Promise Of The Polis02. Ausweg
03. Seinsvergessenheit
04. Apophenia
05. Amphiclasm
06. Detainment
07. Mirror In Darkness
08. Lotophagia
09. Warlords Of The World To Come
10. Mεταγενέσιν
A review by
Auntie Sahar October 03, 2019
Serpent Column comes as one of the latest additions to Mystiskaos, who have been gaining increasing relevance as of late for their left field black metal roster. By the standards of the collective, Mirror In Darkness is something of a deviation, featuring not a hypnotizing brand of psychedelic black metal as has tended to be the Mystiskaos focus, but rather a puzzling, prog-infused black metal of a particularly unique variety. Here a multitude of riffs dance around each other for a complicated though strangely alluring formula somewhat reminiscent of some of the more technical moments from Deathspell Omega, creating a mood of frenetic chaos that appears ready to go overboard at any second but nonetheless feels guided throughout by some invisible hand of order.
While the technical riffing can take a while to get used to, especially at the higher tempos, thankfully on Mirror In Darkness Serpent Column demonstrates an ability to space out the barrage with some more relaxed moments, relatively speaking, such as on "Seinsvergessenheit" or "Detainment." Slower and a bit more melodic, these tracks serve as something of a breather from the more manic, proggy style that forms the bulk of the album, and serve as a good testament to Serpent Column's ability to pace the flow of its compositions quite well.
Though a bit of a challenge upon a first impression, Mirror In Darkness is an album that ultimately rewards multiple plays, as each subsequent listen allows the multiple layers of the songwriting to sink in better. While it may sound overly meandering at points, there definitely is an underlying sense of structure and flow to the compositions here, one that makes for an engaging, if slightly unusual listen. Though they may be something of a black sheep in Mystiskaos from a stylistic standpoint, Serpent Column's technical and delightfully unusual take on black metal is as good an addition to the collective as any.
Dive in.
Written by Auntie Sahar | October 03, 2019
Comments
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10
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Posts: 9636
Some mad musicianship on this one
---- Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking One day there will be no heart at all?
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Loved the last album, got to check this out
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Posts: 5989 Written by no one on 05.10.2019 at 04:14 I thought this was the debut for some reason, so I'll have to get on that one then
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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Posts: 21306
A Deathspell Omega mention is enough to pique my interest but the rest of the review makes this sound interesting enough without the namedrop. Added to the list.
---- "Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something."
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Posts: 5289
I wanna listen to an off-the-wall album. Change things up. This may be it. Excellent review and thanks.
---- rekt
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First listen: wtf, is this two albums playing at the same time?  Second listen: Wow, the musicianship is insane on this one.  Third listen: Ok, if the vocals were better or if there wasn't so much of them, this would be a bm album of the year contender.  What a great find, man! 
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Posts: 5989 Written by nikarg on 26.11.2019 at 11:26 Indeed, one of the best of the latest adds to Mystiskaos I think
---- I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go. ~ II. VII
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