Mirror of Souls

Theocracy

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 9, 2008)
• Original Release Date: November 26, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Ulterium/Nightmare
• ASIN: B001J2SF3M
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #14,726 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. A tower of ashes

2. On eagles wings

3. Laying the demon to rest

4. Bethlehem

5. Absolution day

6. The writing in the sand

7. Martyr

8. Mirror of souls

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Epic melodic metal, vocal, guitar driven melodies and crunch that uplift you into the stratosphere. For fans of all kinds of Metal. Theocracy is a metal band from Athens, Ga. Characterized by huge choruses, epic arrangements and progressive elements, Theocracy s music is both immediate and deep, managing to be instantly catchy and memorable, yet revealing new levels of intricacy and depth with each subsequent listen. Theocracy was released at the end of 2003 on MetalAges Records, to fantastic reviews and worldwide acclaim within the metal community. In the time since that album s release, drummer Shawn Benson and guitarist Jon Hinds joined the ranks, and the band started playing shows locally (including the prestigious ProgPower USA Showcase) and working on new material. And now, after years of hard work, Theocracy is proud to finally unveil their sophomore album, Mirror of Souls, released on Ulterium Records. The material on Mirror of Souls makes it abundantly clear that instead of succumbing to the infamous sophomore slump, the band has actually taken everything to another level. Theocracy is now a full band firing on all cylinders, and the new material features the same high-quality songwriting that made the debut album so memorable. The album s anchor and grand finale is Smith s magnum opus, the 23-minute Mirror of Souls title track. It s the best thing I've ever written, and the song I m most proud of, he says. The track features the same kind of memorable melodies and smart pacing that made epics like (The Serpent s Kiss) and (Twist of Fate) fan favorites. It is an epic in the truest sense of the word, with massive choirs and bombastic orchestral passages. Mirror of Souls was mixed by Smith at the band s Theocracized Studios and mastered by Mikka Jussila [Nightwish, Children of Bodom, Stratovarius] at Finnvox, and the muscular, clear production is a perfect complement to the songs. The cover art was created by Robert Wilson and the booklet was made by Felipe Machado Franco [Iced Earth, At Vance, Ayreon]. Theocracy and Ulterium Records are very excited about working together and supporting this long-awaited album, which is sure to be a hit with fans and critics alike.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If it had just been one song, I'd still have paid full price!, February 6, 2009

By	Wayne Thomas Batson "Adventures are funny thi... (Eldersburg, MD, USA) - See all my reviews

Dream Theater, Angra, Symphony X, Nightwish, Within Temptation, Orphan Project, Pyramaze, Kamelot...these are just some of the Progressive Metal bands I've been listening to for years. So I feel like I have a lot of previous material from which to judge Theocracy.

No, I'm not going to say they blow Dream Theater out of the water or some such thing. And I bet if you could ask the band, they'd probably not want to hear that kind of presumption anyway. But in all honesty, I would not be surprised to see Theocracy become one of the huge bands.

Mirror of Souls is not a perfect CD. True there are about 5 songs that are that boom-chick, boom-chick beat that kind of bugs me. But there are several tunes that will seriously blow your mind.

The title track Mirror of Souls has become one of my top five ALL TIME songs. I put it right up there with Peruvian Skies, Reborn, Mythology Suite, etc. Mirror of Souls is a 22 minute epic that just gets better and better the more you listen. Beautiful 12 string intro, climbing suspenseful melody, crunch guitars, pounding beat, and outstanding vocals--who is this guy? He sounds like someone crossed Geddy Lee with Dennis DeYoung!! Wow, this dude has pipes.

I would gladly have paid full price for the CD just to get that one song. But there's much more than just one song. Go get this. You need it.

Note to the Band: a few more guitar solos would be nice. Come on, I know you can shred!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Proof that the Bible is very Heavy Metal!!!!!, December 22, 2008

By	B. Neal (Rockford, ILLINOIS United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Theocracy's first album was a one man band with Matt Smith handling all vocals, guitars, bass and drum machines. While a strong debut, the vocals were undermixed and the production could have been better. On their Sophomore release, "Mirror of Souls," Theocracy is now a trio with Matt adding a guitarist and drummer to the mix. This has given Theocracy some much needed depth and power to their sound.

The production is much better this time around and so are the songs. Matt covers a wide variety of Christian themes and subject matter in his lyrics like: Martyerdom - "Martyr," spiritual warfare -"Laying the Demon to Rest," praise - "On Eagles Wings," and the birth of Christ - "Betheleham." Lyrically and musically speaking, this album is very good!

Theocracy's style is similar to symphonic/power metal bands like Edguy and Avantasia, 80's thrash/power metal bands like Metal Church and Vicious Rumors also spring to mind. While the rhythm guitar work is very heavy and good, the leads are few and far between and are kind of simple for my tastes. I would have preferred more blistering leads and or shredding solos as found on the albums of comparative bands.

My only other complaint is that once again Matt's vocals are a little undermixed. I like the heavy guitar sound however, and the vocal mix is still better than the last album! With only two cons this album is otherwise very good!!! Fans of symphonic/power metal should check this out as it is among the best in the genre. Christians should be pleased that a good Christian power metal album has hit the market. Non-Christians should still check this out for the music and to see what Christianity is "really" all about! Being both a Christian and a musician I am pleased to have "Mirror of souls" in my collection!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Wait is Finally Over--4.5 Stars, December 10, 2008

By	Melissa (Texas) - See all my reviews

I have been impatiently waiting for this album to be released. I love Theocracy's self titled debut album. It is in my top five favorites. After two years of heavy play, I'm still not tired of it. So, needless to say, I have been looking forward to Mirror of Souls.

Given my lack of patience, I didn't wait for the US release. We ordered it when it was released in Europe and have been listening to it for about a month at this point. While I think it is very good and well worth the wait, it does have some flaws and is not quite as strong as their debut album.

I'm not a musician and can not at all contribute or intelligently review the technical aspects of the music and will try to avoid making of fool of myself by attempting to do so.

Good stuff first.

I love Theocracy's style. It's a nice melodic/power progressive metal. The progressive parts are not meandering and random with no particular purpose. There is a direction and cohesiveness with the progressive aspect. It's not progressive for the sake of being progressive and therefore gives a nice depth to their music that you don't get from your standard melodic metal.

Theocracy is excellent at creating and executing the mood for their songs. On Eagles' Wings has that on top of the world feel where as Mirror of Souls is very haunting. The music fits the lyrics well and they works great together.

Like their first album, Mirror of Souls has some great lyrics. It's obvious thought was put into them. This album is introspective and the lyrics create a nice picture of someone's journey. While the album is Christian, it's not preachy. Since it is introspective, the listener does not get the impression they're being lectured. However, there are some strong Christian ideals conveyed. I do have one complaint with the lyrics and I'll get to it in a few.

Vocals are excellent. I'm not a fan of the growling, unintelligible singing. I like for the singer to be able to carry a tune and be understandable. I find screaming vocals annoying and generally ruin an otherwise good song. Matt Smith can sing. His voice fits the style and compliments the songs.

Now for the weaker stuff.

My number one complaint is the lack of diversity on the album. With the exceptions of Bethlehem and Mirror of Souls the songs are relatively the same speed. The result is a feeling like there's just one long song. So by Absolution Day (song 5), my attention span is shot and doesn't pick back up again until Mirror of Souls (song 8). I know almost all the lyrics to the first 4 songs and the 8th, but it took awhile to remember the name of songs 6 and 7. This to me is the number one weakness with the album.

This next complaint is an extension of the first one. I love the rocking verse leading up to a slower choral chorus. However, I think it was over used on this album. This was a great feature of Theocracy's first album, but it was not used on every song. I think the problem on this album stems from the similarity of pacing with each song, so the verse/chorus transition seems redundant. The lack of diversity is not as bad as I've heard on other albums where you're essentially listening to the same song redone 9 times, but there is a noticeable lack of variation.

I mentioned earlier I loved the lyrics. I do, they are solid, but "Theocracy" had better ones. The lyrics on Mirror of Souls are strong, but they lack that quotable quality of the first album. If it was any other band, I would think the lyrics were outstanding. I've heard this group do better. :-)

Mirror of Souls is a very good album. Any other band and it would have been a solid 5 stars. The 4.5 is because it's not as good as their first. It was well worth the money and I have enjoyed it immensely. However, I can already tell I'm not going to get the same amount of listening time I did from "Theocracy". It is an album that should be listened to several times before forming an opinion. It does grow on you. The highlights are Laying the Demon to Rest, On Eagles' Wings, and Mirror of Souls. Mirror of Souls is excellent. It's a great haunting song that would really be cool to see expanded into a short story.