ASPHYXIUM ZINE

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Album Review: WITCHBONES "The Mirror Effect" (Independent) by Kelly Tee

Band: WITCHBONES
Location: Portland, Oregon
Country: USA
Genre: Black metal
Label: Independent
Format: Digital, streaming
Release date: June 11, 2019
It has only been one month since the release of We Haunt Ourselves album by the incredible black metal solo project out of Portland, Oregon USA, Witchbones and already this creator has released The Mirror Effect, a 5-track album, released in June 2019.
Unlike We Haunt Ourselves, which was full of inhuman sounds, was beastly and ritualistic; The Mirror Effect feels more like an expulsion of raw emotion, pain and memories coming to a head and delivered to the listener with remarkable strength and ambiance.
Loaded with extremely moving riffs that tie each track together, this album feels as if it was created to be listened to as one entire song, yet has elements within each track that differentiates and crafts an individual path.
The Mirror Effect is loaded with heavy crushing riffs and damaging melody that invents a stirring and dark atmosphere for the listener.
The mastermind behind Witchbones is Vardlokker, who’s vocals are scorn and unholy adding another level of brutalisation to each song on this album.
This is not a subtle 5 track journey, with tracks such as Bending The Cypticism and Cobalt Blue Glass feeling intrusive, creating an anxiety for the listener. Tracks such as Blood Sea Waves and No Reflection crush the tone with huge intensity building an unsettling mood. The opening title track The Mirror Effect sets the foundation for all the above perfectly and is unnerving, opaque and riddled with a pensive sadness.
The Mirror Effect is a substantial listen overall, with a perfect level of distortion that helps form the rawness and mysterious authenticity within this album. This excursion is one that is profound and intensified by elements of droning bass and low death style gutturals, creating an ominous and distressed impression. The faded pained screams heard on each track, propels a chilling vibe and is unique to Witchbones.
The Mirror Effect is a significant and inexorable album stained with some exceptionally good guitar patterns and solos, incredible black metal vocals and copious amounts of quality and character. Everything about this album is big; big vocals, big drums, big riffs, big passion.
Witchbones project once again has created within The Mirror Effect something so unforgiving, bleak and completely different from the albums produced before it. You just never know what you will get with this project, but one thing is for certain – Witchbones never disappoints and The Mirror Effect is the testament to this. -Kelly Tee

Lineup:
Vardlokker: Vocals, all instruments

Track list:
1. The Mirror Effect
2. Bending the Crypticism
3. Coral Blue Glass
4. No Reflection
5. Blood Sea Waves

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