CARDIANT – Mirrors

Mirrors, the fourth album from Finnish band Cardiant is a Symphonic/Power Metal band with some Progressive touches, despite what the R. Crumb-ish cover art provided by one of the band members might lead listeners to believe. The album features a number of guest vocalists who join in or lead some lush harmonies; male and female vocalists trade off from track to track or verse to verse. “Riot Rising” starts off with a militaristic beat and progresses in a strange but fun way, with what sounds like a chorus of robots who are sick of dealing with humankind’s abuse. “A Quiet One” is just that, a short, unassuming acoustic track with a beautiful airy vocal: the song leads into the thunderous double bass assault of “Blank Star”, easily the hardest hitting of the album’s eleven tracks.

“My Delusion” ramps up the Symphonic Metal elements, keyboard washes and ethereal background voices until the main vocal comes in. “Life Has Just Begun”, the lead single, is sets a reflective mood and is an exceptional showpiece for the bands’ considerable talents, and the exchange and blend of male and female vocals on this particular track is especially attractive. This song, as do most on the album, shows how Cardiant effectively uses quiet, introspective bridges to ultimately inject more power into their work. Few of their songs have moments (“Blank Star” being the exception) of all-out aural assault, but Cardiant manages to create an epic feel with changes in tone and tempo on Mirrors.

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