“Solace… I know you crave for solace.”
Sitting on the periphery of my listening habits like sunlight creeping from the edges of an eclipse, Our Mirage have eluded my focus for a number of years. Now though, it seems our orbits have aligned at the most opportune time with Our Mirage’s third full-length album, Eclipse, capturing me in its gravity with a series of singles sprinkled throughout 2022.
Hauntingly-dark opener “Awakening” introduces and perpetuates a palpable atmosphere of heartbreak and mental anguish, setting a sublime standard of songwriting sustained throughout much of Eclipse. With rapid-fire rapped verses delivered by frontman and songwriter Timo Bonner, “Awakening” hybridises the best of STARSET and Linkin Park, with djenty, groove-infused guitar riffs reflecting modern metalcore monsters, Kingdom Of Giants. Utilising staccato in Drop F is a recipe for rhythmically resplendent music as far as I’m concerned, and Steffen Hirz (guitars) and Manuel Möbs (bass) expertly execute this on “Awakening”.
“Black Hole” is a bloody beautiful belter with a tremendous payoff, as the song’s opening line blossoms into a colossal, catchy chorus: “Now I’m falling, I’m falling / Through my own battleground / And I’m crawling, I’m crawling / ‘Cause I can’t hear a single sound.” Not only this, but the production on show with “Black Hole” and indeed Eclipse in its entirety is — excuse me, but — fucking flawless. Bonner’s voice is balanced brilliantly against a starry backdrop of responsive bass tones, astronomically-amazing drum production and chunky, grandiose guitars.
Third track “Through The Night” is a brooding nocturne — ambient guitar layers and synths ripple gracefully in verse one, conjuring images of a silent forest at night. This scene is punctured by the punchiest part of “Through The Night” — Bonner’s aggressive verse: “Let me bring this to an end / That you can see yourself again / Reach out for the stars / That lie beneath those scars.” It’s impossible to deny the abundance of Invent Animate inspiration that is going on with the vocal delivery and surrounding riffwork in this short-lived section; I wish this lasted just a little longer.
The serenely-soothing singalong “Suffocating” is gorgeous from the word ‘go’ — dotted delay guitars fill a soundscape replete with angelic vocal layers and pulsating electronics. Standout lyrics open this heart-wrenching track; “Tell me, am I just empty? Why am I left with broken bones since you decided to bury your heart in stone?” whilst a cinematic-sounding drum performance by Daniel Maus allows ‘Suffocating’ to flow flawlessly. If that wasn’t enough, the surprise of an utterly emotive guitar solo at the end is the cherry on top.
‘Learn To Be Alone’ and “Vicious Cycle” contain more traditional post-hardcore heritage in their DNA, echoing the likes of Asking Alexandria and I Prevail. The former track copiously utilises “woah-oh, woah-oh” gang vocals which do admittedly outstay their welcome, whilst “Vicious Cycle” incorporates orchestral strings to supplement some regrettably generic guitar grooves.
Most recently released of the six singles, “Help Me Out!” was my introduction to Our Mirage and was what ignited my initial interest in Eclipse. “Help Me Out!” enters the fray with suspenseful synths and some delightfully dirty riffs reminiscent of Issues. Unexpectedly, “Help Me Out!” contains a seriously hefty breakdown, making for one of the most memorable moments across Eclipse’s respectable forty-six minutes.
Closing out Eclipse is the one-two punch of the eponymous title track and lastly, “Summertown”. Where Our Mirage land an absolute corker of an uppercut with the hard-hitting and stirring singalong passages of “Eclipse”, they unfortunately miss their finishing blow with what is arguably the weakest of the twelve tracks offered on Eclipse.
Many of the lyrics on “Summertown” feel decidedly weak, with a cringeworthy Chunk! No, Captain Chunk! vibe strewn throughout; “Bright thoughts and beautiful balloons / No useful bananas for me and you” and “I can’t wait to do weird stuff with you” are particular examples of “Summertown” slipping compared to the sincerity of other tracks. I understand that “Summertown” was a fun collaborative summer track with Breakdown Bros, but it misses the tonal mark that is otherwise sustained masterfully across the album.
In conclusion, Eclipse fits its identity — as the name would imply — this album is one of contrasting light and dark, exploring the darkening depths of one’s mind through the majesty of modern metal. At places, Eclipse is a little shallow and simplistic lyrically, yet Timo Bonner’s incredibly consistent vocal performance carries so much grit and gravitas and this really outshines many of Eclipse’s minor shortcomings. The production on show is some of the tightest I’ve heard on a record this year, and with twelve tracks spanning forty-six minutes, Eclipse hits the perfect sweet-spot of a record that retains excitement throughout the entire journey without dragging on.
8/10
Eclipse is due for release on November 25th via Arising Empire and can be pre-ordered here. For the remainder of 2022 going into what will be an incredible year for new music in 2023, please stay with us at Boolin Tunes.