10 years Mirror Of Deception

Shortly after coming home from work it was time for the ritual again: Entering my car, driving for 3 1/2 hours into south-western direction to a club i've never been to before. Situated on a former military area the surroundings gave an eerie, somehow unpleasant impression. But after having entered "Café OP" there were all the familiar faces that made me feel like coming home at once.

I think they haven't done any gig in the last couple of years. But to honor their long-time brothers they finally entered the stage again: Dawn of Winter! Though Gerrit obviously suffered from a serious hangover he sang flawlessly in his usual brilliant Scott Reagers style. His bandmates nearly didn't move at all (like frozen in their self-made slowness), but that's exactly the way it has to be. The guys haven't lost anything of their impact during the years. With the presentation of three new songs plus the well-known "Ritual Magic" they made clear that their gloomy spirits are still alive and well. The new material captured me at once. It seems they might be able to even top their brilliant "In the Valley of Tears" monument. Huge!

Next in a line were Voodoo Shock, Uwe Groebel's new band (no, I won't mention the name of his previous outfit), actually their first live appearance ever. They are a threepiece, and just like Wino's great Spirit Caravan / The Obsessed they were rockin' out hard, getting the audience into a heavy groove with the first note. I always wonder how musicians can concentrate on both, playing their instrument and doing the vocals. Uwe did it with ease, and even the guitar parts were that heavy, no second axe was missed. Highlight of their set was "Showtime", a fuckin' doom rock hit that Wino himself would certainly be proud of. I'm pretty sure Voodoo Shock covered a tune by The Obsessed, but I can't really remember which one. At that time I wasn't aware that I would write this review, so I didn't pay much attention to details but concentrated on having fun and drinking beer. Please excuse me in case I forgot anything of importance.

End of Green don't play Doom Metal in the true sense of the word, but they deliver a lot of melancholy with their sounds. And they have played numerous gigs together with MoD, so this was reason enough for them to take part in this event of creepy music. Unfortunately singer Huber seemed to have had quite a few drinks before the gig, and therefore got problems with his coordination on stage. After a while he sang lying on his back. Nevertheless his vocals were performed in a decent way so that the song they played could reveal its brilliance. I would have loved to hear more of them, but Huber's bandmates weren't happy with him damaging their equipment. So they already left too soon after this single song.

Then it was time for the main attraction of the evening, the band we all wanted to give honor to: Mirror of Deception. If you ever experienced one of their shows you know what to expect: A more than solid rhythm section that lays a thick foundation for two excellently harmonizing guitars, which often play melodies different from that of the vocal lines yet matching them perfectly. Vocals itself is an aspect that MoD deal with in their very own style. Frontman Baumi performs his parts in a way not comparable to most other singers in the Doom scene. He isn't that kind of a dark figure but appears subtle and slightly restrained giving life to heartfelt melodies. On the other hand it's always nice to listen to his silly remarks in between songs when he's making fun of some stereotypes you often hear from many musicians on stage. Guitarist Siffi is also doing a lot of vocals, some even in an experimental manner that you'd rather expect to hear in a Tibetian monastery. All of this and more was what the band had to offer that night. I think it must have been by far the longest MoD gig I ever had the opportunity to experience. They played all the tracks of the current album, including my faves "Float" and "Weiss", also newer, unreleased stuff, awesome cover versions of "One Mind" and "Hippie's Triumph" (guess the originals and win Barry Manilow's worn underwear) and as a special surprise for this special event they even unearthed songs they hadn't performed for ages. So finally brother Kodo got to hear "Mirror of Deception", a tune from the first demo he was always pleading for in all those years. On your knees, man! As MoD is not only a band but also kind of a family, some guests were asked to join the stage in order to share some memories and a great present time. So we got the chance to hear and see their original drummer and Matze from End of Green. Great band, great show, more beer...

Now my alcohol level began to reach unhealthy regions, but still there were two more bands to play. First was the only one tonight I hadn't heard a single note from before. Well of Souls started their set, and fuck, what can I say about these guys? I only know I got so enthused by their performance I couldn't hold back from banging my stupid head like crazy. Yes, they really convinced me with their energetic showcase of fine traditional Doom Metal in the vein of Count Raven with a more mystical approach. A new dark star was born. At least for me. So I got hold of their CD (did I pay for it at all?), which lateron convinced me as well.

Nothing could have spoiled this night anymore, even if any untalented band had played. But seemingly there is no such band in the Schwabistanian scene. With The Blue Season we got to hear another ambitious group once more playing in their own well-developed style. Being fronted by a female vocalist and a male one who also plays keyboards, they gave way to some songs mainly characterized by revealing a lot of beauty and melancholy.  TBS don't deal with that "beauty versus beast" scheme you so often are confronted with when it comes to mixed formations. There's an enchanting flow in their compositions that hardly can be fled from. That they also are into the real Doom became obvious when they did cover versions of "Black Sabbath" (killer!) and "Be Kept in Suspense". You're right, The Blue Season were playing a song by Mirror of Deception, hell yeah! And it sounded great. What about doing a "Tribute to MoD" by the way?

A memorable night of Doom 'n' Gloom came to its end, and someone had to deal with two drunken bastards (namely Windfall-Michi and me). Thanks to Jochen we found a place to sleep at the Voodoo Shock headquarters a few kilometers away. Mercy beaucoup, Uwe & Meike, for bearing us! Doom Metal lives indeed!!

Tofukeule / Psychedelic #8, 2000/2001

Fotos: courtesy of vampster-Fierce (Summer Breeze 2002)