Black Mirrors – Look Inside the Black Mirror (Album Review)
August 27, 2018 Black Mirrors – Look Inside the Black Mirror (Album Review)
Posted at 12:38h Jeannie Blue cryptic rock, CrypticRock, Music reviews, News, Reviews 0 Comments
The world received their first aural glimpse of Black Mirrors back in March 2017 with the release of the band's Funky Queen EP. Riding the success of this release, the Belgian quartet have drafted their first full-length, Look Into The Black Mirror, which arrives Friday, August 31, 2018, thanks to Napalm Records.
Belgium might be known for its delectable, edible goodies – from chocolate to waffles and beyond – but now it's time for music fans to look to the European nation for all things deliciously sludgy Garage Rock. Meet Black Mirrors – Vocalist Marcella Di Troia, Guitarist Pierre Lateur, Bassist Gino Caponi, and Drummer Edouard Cabuy – a quartet of musical friends from Brussels who came together to rock in late 2013. The unique sound that they debuted on 2017's Funky Queen EP can be described as an impressively powerful blend of snotty Indie, dirty Garage Rock, Blues and Stoner Rock, something that sees Janis Joplin fronting the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, if you will. For simplicity's sake, let's just call it Alt Rock.
Their debut full-length offering, Look Into The Black Mirror, presents 10-songs that stand as a solid testament to this band's rocking talents. Says Guitarist Letaur: "[The album] is the result of all our personal, musical and spiritual experiences we've went through during the past five years. Overall, the album is very song-oriented as we believe that 'melody' is the most important element in music. We dug into every aspect of what we enjoy in music; from straightforward heavy Rock songs to very intimate, groovy or acoustic tunes."
Look Into The Black Mirror kicks off with the funky, thick textures that resonate heavily on "Shoes For Booze," creating a syrupy-thick groove. It is followed by the only track that remains from the original, four-song EP, the titular "Funky Queen," which remains a testament to the band's immediate genius – a funktastic, infectious groover that is part yesteryear and today; a wonderfully amalgamated, fresh stomp. Next, a steady drum beat from Cabuy and grungy, dirty bass lines from Caponi anchor the spirited backbone of "Lay My Burden Down," allowing Lateur's guitar work to swirl across the landscape of this rocker which sees Di Troia soaring on its choruses. In this way, Black Mirrors always work as a team, pulling one another's artistry to new heights through their individual contributions.
Hazy, lazy "Inner Reality" weaves a languid, trippy spell that is 1970s Psychedelia at its finest, while the down-tempo waves of "Moonstone" lull and echo through lush valleys of sound. The intensely driving guitar precision of first single/video "Günther Kimmich" amps the band to full-throttle for this hair-flailing, hip-shaking wall of sound that is part dancer and part banger. Meanwhile, the psychedelic twinges presented on "Cold Midnight Drum" dust across the dirty bass-lines that anchor the driving, bespelling down-tempo rocker. It's no shock that the guitar work shreds on "Mind Shape," establishing an anchor for Di Troia's vocals to soar off into the gritty heavens. Then they dip down for the hypnotic, bluesy grit of "Till The Land Wind Blows"
Ultimately, they go balls-out for the album closer "Burning Warriors." A delicious blend of everything that has come before, "Burning Warriors" soars and plunges, and shows the refined sass and grit of this exceptional band. Just when you thought it was over, it's not: the groovy guitars continue for an impressive seven minutes! (If you hang in there for a little while longer, you just might find a little acoustic surprise as well.)
In one word, Black Mirrors are fierce! Those who enjoy raw, emotional Rock-n-Roll fraught with bass-heavy, funky riffs, and delectable grooves will love the band's sound, which harkens back to a more-sincere, less overproduced time. Di Troia's fierce vocal stylings bring to mind the superbly-talented Dorothy Martin of Dorothy, another sassy siren with golden pipes that belong in another time – and this is never a bad thing. Gritty, rocking and with an infectious sensuality to each lick, Look Into The Black Mirror establishes Black Mirrors as a new and highly-noteworthy musical talent, a viable contender for all things Rock.
Displaying a truly impressive wall of sound that serves to bolster Di Troia's phenomenally feisty vocals, Black Mirrors and Look Into The Black Mirror are not to be missed! Impressed and excited for the band's future, CrypticRock give Black Mirrors' Look Into The Black Mirror 4.5 of 5 stars.
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1970's Rock, 2018 album, 2018 music, album, Album review, Alt Rock, Black Mirrors, blues, Edouard Cabuy, Funky Queen, Garage Rock, Günther Kimmich, Indie, Loic, Marcella Di Troia, music, music review, Napalm Records, Pierre Lateur, Stoner Rock
Jeannie Blue
Jeannie likes to joke that she is little, yellow, blue, and different. She seemingly popped out of her mother's womb with a pen in her hand and has been writing ever since. Many moons ago - in what feels like a separate lifetime - Jean was co-editor of an online music magazine that afforded her great opportunities to interview and photograph some of her favorite bands/musicians: Tommy Lee, Good Charlotte, Warrant, Bring Me The Horizon, My Chemical Romance, Sevendust, New Found Glory, Deftones, Poison, VH-1 "Band On the Run" Flickerstick, an endless list of unsigned locals, and so many others. These days, she can usually be found hiking aimlessly through the woods in her favorite Technicolor sneakers with a Nikon in hand and her rescue dog, Molly, who is a bit hare-brained.