ALBUM REVIEW: Eclipse – Our Mirage
We’re approaching the end of the year and you know what that means, those Album of The Year lists are becoming populated and stressed over. This is the final chance for bands to make a big impression and give people that agonising decision to drop some of their favourites of the year. So has OUR MIRAGE’s third full-length Eclipse made the cut?
No, we’d be stunned if it does. It’s not that Eclipse is a terrible album because it isn’t. But it doesn’t bring anything new or exciting to the table. It’s an album chock full of stock metalcore riffs, predictable song structures and an overproduced shine that removes any oomph that these songs may have had. It’s agonising how close OUR MIRAGE are to striking gold. Let’s start with the opener, Awakening. It begins with a promising riff and an earworm synth before it gives way to rapping that already hits you with a sudden urge to skip the rest of the track. Possibly an endearing nod to Mike Shinoda but the cringe factor is off the charts. The track isn’t saved by the catchy chorus sadly and it’s a real false start for the album.
Black Hole follows and is an early showcase of the talents of Timo Bonner. The guy has a fantastic voice. It’s a clean tone but it feels like there’s some force hidden behind it and it fits the music well. It’s slightly reminiscent of the vocals of HANDS LIKE HOUSES. It’s quite an unmistakable tone that he controls well with minimal effort. Now we’re off. There are some screamed vocals in the background that give the track a bit of extra weight. But by the time we’re at the third track, there’s already a sense of ‘wait, haven’t we heard this one?’, which isn’t a good sign after such a short time. It’s the same pace, the same standard catchy but otherwise unremarkable chorus, and the same uplifting but otherwise cheesy lyrics.
There’s a slightly slower pace to the verses in Suffocating but yet again the chorus is standard fare and could easily be swapped out with any other track on the album. It also features one of the most abrupt endings. Halfway through the album and everything is bang average. There hasn’t been a single moment that stands out on its own and the album is in danger of becoming ‘Eclipsed’ by other albums that have stood out a lot more throughout this year. The pointless interlude Myself doesn’t even lead particularly well into the next track Calling You, which almost makes you pick up and answer but instead it’s best left to voicemail. It features a hooky chorus and banging bridge but again the half-rapping pre-choruses are a complete boner killer. Why? Just, why?
Help Me Out is the track that you need to hear if you’re going to go into this album on the fence. This is the band using their abilities to the fullest. It features a bouncy opening riff that dances over synths and it still thunders through the verses. There’s a heavy pre-chorus section with screams that gives way to arguably the best chorus on the album. Where the hell has this been all album? So surely now, they’ll follow it up with another banger? No, change back down to third gear and stay in the left lane as you watch that fancy geezer fly past in an Audi. There is a sense that the band are afraid to let go of the reins. It’s home again to another disgustingly infectious chorus and at this point, you have to applaud their dedication to the huge hook, but the less said about the final track Summertown the better.
You can hear the talent that OUR MIRAGE clearly have, it’s just a shame their sound feels stifled behind a creative barrier. If they aren’t careful, their gradual trajectory will be derailed by becoming lost in a sea of mediocrity populated by similar acts also failing to forge their own individual path.
Rating: 5/10
Eclipse is set for release on November 25th via Arising Empire.
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