Album Review: Our Mirage – Unseen Relations
Reviewed by Carl Black
Legacy bands cast a big shadow. The true legacy bands last forever and are reborn in new bands that shape their music on the echoes of the past, but twist and form the influences into a new, fresh format that new and old fans can appreciate/like/love. Our Mirage are not a legacy band but Chester Bennington and Linkin Park have presided over Unseen Relations from a distance, just like an over-abundance of your favourite bands have done in the past. It may seem strange that Linkin Park are such a huge influence over todays heavier music as most of the people I hang out with still consider them a new band.
Unfortunately, the twisting and turning of the Linkin Park sound which is done by Our Mirage is not quite developed enough. Everything is formatted and moulded to hit the Linkin Park mark, just minus the rapping. Clean piano prevalent in most of the songs, with an emotionally sung verse that builds into a loud chorus with a big finish which leaves the singer drained of all emotion. Then the next songs strikes up, and it’s the same, and the same and so on until the end of the album. We have a clutch of songs that sound like 'Blessed With A Curse' by Bring Me The Horizon sung by Mr Bennington. In other words, in today’s climate of rock music, it's a radio friendly unit shifter.
I understand if you think that this review is a complaint. It’s not. Bands have been doing this since music began. Whatever your entry point is into heavier music, this is going to be your biggest influence. You can’t help it. It’s what’s shaped you as the person you are today but this effort from Our Mirage may just be a little too much of a carbon copy.
Our Mirage release 'Unseen Relations' via Arising Empire on February 7th.
