Mirror Of Haze – The End Is The Beginning (Album – Wave Records)
Genre/Influences: Dream-Pop, Cold-Wave.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: This is the debut album of the Norwegian formation Mirror Of Haze.
Content: The composition is inspired by some 80s influences like Cold-Wave and Dream-Pop. The guitar playing creates this typical mewing and melancholic feeling while the synth parts are adding a melodic touch to the work. One of the most 80s driven songs (cf. “Forgotten Places, Forgotten People”) is featuring female backing vocals.
+ + + : One of the main strengths of this work is the melancholic mood created by the guitar. It has this typical 80s appeal. There’s a perfect balance between guitar and electronics. Some songs like “Forgotten Places, Forgotten People” and “Listen To The Trees” are carried by great choruses characterized by solid melody lines. I also like the artwork of this album.
– – – : I’m not surprised this is a debut album; some of the songs being a bit monotonous.
Conclusion: “The End Is The Beginning” is an honest debut work with neither true highlights nor forgettable songs.
Best songs: “Forgotten Places, Forgotten People”, “Listen To The Trees”, “Merry-Go-Round Spinning”.
Rate: (7).
Artist: www.facebook.com/mirrorofhaze
Label: www.waverecordsmusic.com / www.facebook.com/waverecords
About Mirror Of Haze
Mirror Of Haze is a post-punk and gothic rock project from Oslo, Norway, run by Vadym Markov, who writes, performs and produces the music and lyrics. The debut album was recorded in isolation during the pandemic months of 2020, according to the Bandcamp notes, which cite T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” as a lyrical starting point.
“The End Is The Beginning” was released on 15 February 2021 as a self-released download and as a CD limited to 200 copies on the Brazilian label Wave Records. The eight tracks are “Drifting Into The Void”, “Merry-Go-Round Spinning”, “Upside Down In The Air”, “Prisoners Of The Maze”, “In The Hyacinth Garden”, “Forgotten Places, Forgotten People”, “Listen To The Trees” and “Thunder Without Rain”. The album was recorded and mixed in Oslo and mastered by Gustavo Plaza; Svitlana Markova designed the cover and Dmitry Stankevich the logo. Tracks from it appeared in 2021 on the Sonic Seducer compilation “Cold Hands Seduction Vol. 229”, the Orkus compilation “The Dark Hits Of Tomorrow Vol. 2” and the tribute album “Stranger Times (A Tribute To The Chameleons)”.
The second album “Flamescapes Of Eden” followed on CD through Wave Records in 2024, and a track with Primitive Heart, “Reckless”, was included on the seven-CD box set covered in ‘Resurgence’, a massive 7CD post-punk boxset to be released in January 2025 – Pre-order now. “The End Is The Beginning” is the project’s first Side-Line review.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
