Rock metal bands reviews promotion
webzine
   



'Path of Salvation'

(Fastball Music)










MARK: 80/100




 
  Six years after its foundation and the following releases of two EPs, the German six-headed act leads to its debut-album comprising nine tracks produced by Dark Millennium's Hilton Theissen and accompanied by three official music videos.

Lyricwise and musically there is abundant roaming among disparate topics and music styles; as to the lyrics, they cover themes such as damnation, the afterlife, pain and atheism, feeling different, always young and uncapable of finding one's way, two soulmates rejoinging their relationship subsequently a long research, the band's comeback, a meeting with an angel stuck on earth, mankind's fall from grace and its isolation on a planet dominated by wars.
The music starts speaking from "Fortune", a melodic Symphonic Metal song reminding vast spaces seen from above and matched by an official video telling a story of positive values spread from one person to another ("https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOcbMWmBbNA"); here the singer displays his range of vocals, reaching lower ones pretty smoothly, while the rhythm occasionally speeds up veering towards Epic and Folk Metal. The keyboards and drums parts are the ones that definitely stand out, while delicate guitar strokes and double vocal layers need a mention, too. An acoustic ending closes the song fading out.
"Mirrorplain" possesses a Gothic Metal intro, while the rest of the song is feisty and rugged. Dynamic drumming, Iron Maiden-influenced central licks, Speed/Power Metal accelerations all contribute to decorating the track and making it less foreseeable and indeed one of the best arranged ones; still, it's the keyboard player to be the protagonist of the composition from beginning to end, duelling with the guitar also when the rhythm changes.
The almost title track "Salvation" (and its associated video rich in pro visual effects "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLFP1zVli9I") can count on a catchy refrain, a fast axe solo, rapid drumming, a trilling key solo. It also briefly contains the most wicked vocals of the album, pretty Machine Headian to my ears, whereas the long "Eternal Jack" is rich in chiaroscuros, encompassing a sweet partially Country Rock guitar solo.
A ballad with a riff very close to Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters", "Reparation" still remains a convincing well-conceived track, containing a long guitar solo which continues in the background when the vocals return.
 
 


The energy is back with "Unsought", halfway between Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. It definitely represents the highest episode in the album worth alone the purchase. Amazing vocally and instrumentally under every aspect, it enjoys precious keyboard touches and forceful drumwork. I needn't go into detail, just don't miss the related video at: "https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ak8tvMy2f4", keeping in mind that the music version is a bit different than the track on the CD.
In "Angel without Wings" the mind-piercing keyboards are important, too, yet there are vocal layers that strongly help embellish the composition, with the band cleverly mixing gentleness and intensity.
Not everything turns out to be flawless here in this CD and "Tower of Babel" shows a song where some vocals and the guitar solo are a bit too simplistic, scholastic if you will. Still, the quality bar is raised by majestic and baroque key plots.
Finally, the bonus "Jerz off", lively porn Blus Rock separate from the rest. The reason why it's been added is to show a fun side that many outside the close circle around Mirrorplain ignore and also because it's an addictive and catchy piece.

"Path of Salvation" is a batch of songs that grow little by little yet constantly, especially after the third listen, revealing a combo without a restricted identity, whose keyboardist appears the ace in the hole. If the vocals and the guitars had been more complex or recorded more professionally, the impact would have been tremendous, notwithstanding the German 6-piece have proven to be able to write songs pleasant to listen to, embroidered with overpowering rhythm variations and a sufficient personal edge.




 


  MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - December 10th, 2018
 



















Line-up on this record:
Vocals / Rhythm Guitar – Christian Döring
Lead Guitar / Vocals – Jeremy Vollmert
Guitar - Jan Ackerschott
Bass – Sascha Drendel
Keys – Kevin Ax
Drums / Vocals – Nikolas “Uli” Hoffmann





Contacts:
Finnentrop - D
E-mail:
Official sites:

https://www.facebook.com/Mirrorplain
http://www.mirrorplain.de




Demo-/Disco-graphy:

-Fortune (single - 2017)
-Salvation (single - 2017)
-Path of Salvation (CD - 2018)