MIRRELIA

The band was formed by 3 members from the now defunct band "Closed for Tonight". However, the line up has changed quite a bit over the last decade. With the release of "Bittersweet" which was released in November of 2019, Nick Lobo is on vocals, Sung Jun Park is on guitars, Jimmy Lee does the bass and Carl Sequeira is on drums. This EP has a good number of tracks for a EP with 8 songs, but with a total run time of a bit over 31 minutes.

"Revolving Door Syndrome", the first track, will immediately come blasting through your speakers at full speed and volume, so check your volume before starting out. The vocals start out sounding clean and a bit young, but will quickly evolve along with the changing meters and heaviness, venturing into growling vocals and right back into clean vocals in the matter of a single phrase. All the while, the music remains surprisingly complex and heavy with the drums pounding out technically difficult passages while the guitar and bass keep things as complex and wild as the drums.

"Tivoli" stays in that complex style, with just a little more of a melodic edge and less harshness in the vocals, so maybe a bit more accessible, but then "Lovers" goes off in a completely different direction with more of a pop sound and lots of electronic manipulation. It almost sounds like a completely different band using electronic drum loops and keyboards. That combination of pop starts out the next track "2 AM Conversations", yet as it continues, it becomes more complex sounding. It's an interesting sound and can be a little annoying on the poppier sections, but yet innovative when the track moves almost seamlessly into complexity.

"Two Viles of Venom and a Mouth Full of Promises" only strengthens that pop-progressive combination which results in a unique sound that keeps you guessing whether you should hate this or love it. However, by this time, you are becoming used to this interesting combination and the complexity is definitely starting to sound better. The guitar melody that stands out on this track is quite appealing. "Liars" is similar to the softer, electronic and poppier sound of "Lovers", but is a short track of only a few minutes, and it kind of works to break up the more complex tracks. "Relapse" gives us some really great guitar hooks, and as in the first track, there is a great combination of clean and dirty textured vocals. The contrast is awesome in this track and the track just gets more awesome as it goes on as it sweeps you up in its power. The EP ends way too early when you get to the last track "Prophet Complex", and if you are like me, you have finally decided that you actually like this album. This last track combines the clean and harsh vocals again, but is a bit more melodic than the last track, but it moves along very fast and has its share of heavy bass and guitar hooks.

So, I began this review feeling quite critical about what I was hearing, but by the end, I am very impressed with this album. I love the contrast of the pop and complex progressive sound that permeates the album, and also the quickly changing vocal textures that go on in many places throughout the album. It makes me wish the band had more material, but it is one that I will definitely be watching for. The best way to describe it is a whirling study of contrasts.

The album starts off with 'Brassdame,' and I don't think it could've begun in better fashion; the powerful-yet-atmospheric opening to the song is incredibly well done, and the juxtaposition between heavy, accentuated hits and melodic lighter sections (lots of this throughout their music) really brings this music to another level. Unfortunately, you also get a showcase of the singer's fairly obvious lisp, which does break my immersion into the songs every now and then. However, it is more than made up for by his incredible range and flawless tone, and even his harsh vocals are perfectly executed, as shown on 'East of Eden,' the second track, and 'Stray,' the fourth. These two tracks, the shortest of the six, build up Mirrelia's sense of metal, which they likely held over from the influence they got from their old Closed for Tonight tenures. 'East of Eden' uses this heaviness (juxtaposed with plenty of melodicism) to paint a very hopeful sound. 'Stray,' however, plays light and dark tones against eachother in an oppressive and heavy way that creates a genuine sense of looming dread.

Three tracks down, three to go! The third track up, 'Mirrored,' features a very melodic guitar that plays a counter melody to the vocals for a good portion of the song, playing a heavy, syncopated rhythm for the verses. This song also gives us our first look at their use of the piano, to very great effect during the calm passages. 'Tearless Child,' my former favorite, displays this piano throughout, featuring also some of the best vocals I've ever heard, and one of the most engaging drum beats I've ever heard in a ballad. The bassist really gets a lot of recognition and props on this one, too, as his walking bassline is quite complex and interesting to listen to. Finally, the last track, 'Sapphire Touch,' is the track I've listened to the least number of times on the album, but it is by no means the least appreciated. It has a very mellow, haunting feel to the calm passages (as we've heard before), which is very nicely juxtaposed with some heavy, syncopated rhythms (also showcased earlier in the album), and more of that walking bassline and mellow piano from earlier as well. This is a great way to close out the work (even a rockin' guitar solo in there, too!), adding up all that came before it in a way that sounds very final and polished, the entire album sounding quite polished, at that.

In closing, Mirrelia is a very promising young band with a very refined, complex sound that I have certainly come to appreciate immensely in even such a short time of having listened to them and with only six songs to choose from. I can say with the utmost confidence that Mirrelia will delight any listener fond of progressive hard rock/metal, and I reccommend them to friends all the time - I encourage you to do the same!