The Sham Mirrors
| The Sham Mirrors | ||||
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| Arcturus studio album | ||||
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Publication |
2002 |
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admission |
2000-2002 |
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| Label (s) | Ad Astra Enterprises | |||
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Title (number) |
7th |
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running time |
43:13 |
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| occupation |
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Trickster G. Rex and Phantom FX |
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The Sham Mirrors is the third regular studio album by the Norwegian metal band Arcturus . It was released by Ad Astra Enterprises in 2002 and distributed through Prophecy Productions and The End Records .
Creation and publication
Since Arcturus was quiet in the early 2000s and the release of the last regular studio album La Masquerade Infernale had been a few years ago, rumors arose that the band had split up. But in 2000, recordings for a new album began. They took place in various studios until 2002.
Bassist Hugh Steven James Mingay had left the band in the meantime and was replaced by Dag F. Gravem, but was a guest musician on The Sham Mirrors . Other guest musicians on the recordings were Ihsahn (vocals) and Mathias Eick ( French horn ). Tore Ylwizaker from Ulver mixed the album at Ambassaden Studio, Tom la Bomba mastered it at Strype Audio. The Sham Mirrors was released on CD and LP, in Poland also on cassette. On the CDs of the first edition of Prophecy Productions there is incorrectly the imprint "Promotional Copy".
Track list
Steinar Sverd Johnsen is the sole composer of all pieces; the lyrics to "Collapse Generation" and "Radical Cut" were written by Jørn H. Sværen , the rest by Trickster G. Rex. The title of the seventh song was borrowed from a short prose text by Samuel Beckett .
- Kinetic - 5:25
- Nightmare Heaven - 6:05
- Ad absurdum - 6:48
- Collapse Generation - 4:13
- Star-Crossed - 5:01
- Radical Cut - 5:08
- For to End Yet Again - 10:33
style
The Sham Mirrors is more rooted in metal compared to the theatrical previous album with many genre-typical riffs , solos and double bass passages as well as Ihsahn's black metal screams on "Radical Cut". But there are also influences from other musical styles on this album, e. B. neoclassical piano runs and orchestration, electronic samples and effects or the tricky rhythms of progressive rock and trip-hop beats.
Trickster G. Rex's vocals are varied; it ranges from whispers and deep chanting to falsetto , can be hymnic or theatrical and sometimes also electronically alienated.
reception
Allmusic's William York finds that the album's “unexpected twists and turns and intricate song structures” are well balanced by “catchy and moving melodies”. Reviews on the baby blue pages and in Rock Hard are consistently positive.
"Here, absolutely without failure, an excellent mixture of this orchestral heaviness, progressive intricacy, metallic hardness and post-modern aloofness is celebrated for almost three quarters of an hour."
“This album has it all. It describes great emotions, it contains limitlessly beautiful music - from the classical to the influence of the seventies to the black metallic roots of the protagonists. "
The Sham Mirrors was in the Finnish charts for a week.
Web links
- The Sham Mirrors at Allmusic (English)
- Reviews of The Sham Mirrors on the Babyblauen Seiten
Individual evidence
- ^ Arcturus: History ( Memento of April 18, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ Supplement to the first edition of Prophecy Productions
- ↑ a b Baby Blue Prog Reviews: Arcturus: The Sham Mirrors , Baby Blue Pages , accessed on October 17, 2012.
- ↑ a b William York: The Sham Mirrors at Allmusic (English), accessed on October 17, 2012.
- ↑ a b Wolf-Rüdiger Mühlmann: Arcturus . The Sham Mirrors . In: Rock Hard , No. 180, accessed October 17, 2012.
- ↑ Discography Arcturus , finnishcharts.com , accessed May 17, 2015.