| The
Review |
If you could place a band smack-dab in the middle of mid-period
Riot and Malmsteen's Rising Force, House of Mirrors is what
you just might come up with. Sure you have elements of both
progressive metal and AOR, and it's all for the ballsy approach
that that core members, vocalist Pekka Rauitiainen and guitarist
Jaakko Niitemaa, supply to the world of melodic progressive
metal similar to what bands like Mind's Eye & Sphere of Souls
and AOR artists such as Fair Warning & Joe Lynn Turner have
conveyed to the masses. ***
Burning through dark structured tracks and blistering
melodies that ponder upon the haunting anthem vibe, 'Desolation'
is one heavy record, thrusting with melodic gusto and highly
intelligent song oriented material without any need for overzealous
compositional wanking, these guys just rock; with sophistication
of course. But when you look at the 'guts' of the record itself,
tracks like "Fallen Leaf," "Broken Soul," and the title cut
showcase the 'proggy' side to the album, but as the album
goes on, it's almost like they are getting the technical side
out of their system, and moving more into the AOR side of
things (of course, keeping it technical). You can say that
"These Chains," Waiting in the Wings," and the ballad "Where
are You Now" are strong melodic metal tracks where those strengths
rely on the melodies riding high on the axe attack of Niitemaa's
six string attack and Rauitiainen's commanding vocal performance
throughout the record. ***
Rounding out 'Desolation,' House of Mirrors have created
catchy and intriguing metal that bases itself on the ability
to spark a genuine approach to melding precision with catchiness,
and that people, is what draws the listener in.
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