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Hailing from Switzerland, Mirrorthrone is a bedroom black metal project, regulated by its sole member, Vladimir Cochet. This alone may cause some to question Mirrorthrone’s relevance and quality, and rightly so; bedroom black metal is generally ill-conceived and hastily recorded music that is made by angsty teenagers who wish to replicate Burzum’s Filosofem as closely as possible, usually with embarrassingly poor results. Fortunately, Mirrorthrone’s Carriers of Dust is a complete departure from this norm.
The music contained on Carriers of Dust is well-produced and intricate; it is clear that Vladimir invested great amounts of time to see his vision carried out to a high standard. Whereas most bedroom black metal is characterized by its lo-fi production and minimalist songwriting, Carriers of Dust is pristinely produced, and the tracks (three-fourths of which are over nine minutes in length) feature incredibly diverse instrumentation and lengthy instrumental sections that feature flutes, strings, and organs, evidence of the classical influence on this album. Aside from these atypical elements, Vladimir incorporates traditional black metal instrumentation; chromatic riffs played on trebly tremolo-picked guitars and blastbeat inflicted drumming. Occasionally the riffing takes on a death metal sort of feel, but for the most part it remains within the realm of black metal.
Another aspect of this album that places Mirrorthrone head-and-shoulders above its peers are Vladimir’s vocals; he utilizes screaming, singing, and growling, all to wondrous effect, while his peers, who, for the most part, rely on Burzum-inspired shrieking.
Unfortunately, Carriers of Dust isn’t all perfect. Though it contains three absolutely mind-blowing songs, Carriers of Dust is let down by its closing track (it should be cut in half) and the fact that all of the instruments other than the guitar and the bass are programmed or synthesized; this gives the album a mechanical and inorganic feel, the opposite of what an atmospheric black metal artist should produce. Otherwise, it is essentially perfect.
tl;dr: Incredible symphonic black/death, marred by inorganic production and an overlong closer. Recommended to fans of Emperor.
Best Tracks: “A Scream to Express the Hate of a Race”, “De l’Échec et de son Essentialité”
Best Tracks: “A Scream to Express the Hate of a Race”, “De l’Échec et de son Essentialité”
~Turkeyballs
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