Jade – Smoking Mirror

After some reviews on the brighter side of Metal – well, if there is one – now it is the time to go blacker and darker. Jade with “Smoking Mirror” have brought us the pleasere of being on the dark side of the force. I say all that because we fell the malevolent atmosphere brought by the band in this album. It is not all the time, but some bands do mean what they preach and Jade are truly one of them. “Smoking Mirror” give the creeps by the beginning with an atmosphere very well built of glooming darkness and powerful instrumental besides the cadaveric vocals.

Here we got another EP with only four tracks, but against all odds and my opinion, “Smoking Mirror” brings the perfect balance to be reviewed and praised with six astoning darkened songs with some mesmerizing and hypnotic instrumentals. The album opens with “Jade Emperor” which kicks off the madness and mayhem making it sure that Jade are here to bring the musical chaos to this sad and lonely and pathetic planet. Unlike some of their Death/Doom peers, Jade opt for a clean, though mesmerizing instrumentals that highlights all the four songs. “Jade Emperor” even has some echoes and reverbs that are rarely used by Metal bands. In this case, they work fabulously giving an even more aggressive and threatening mood to the song. Yeah, “Smoking Mirror” is a threatening album with all the crushing  power that emanates from it. As I always say, Metal doesn’t have to be faster than light to be great and Jade teach us a nice class about plauing slow, but efective menacing music. In fact, the songs have a modicum balance of speed and heavyness. However, “Blossom” does everything to keep me with my mouth shut with its fast-paced intro. But what Jade do best is to musically create an atmosphere of fear, fright, grief, perturbation, and horror to their songs. Second track “Dead Stone Mask” shows it pretty well in a pristine manner. But the cherry of the cake is title track “Smoking Mirror” with its perfect recreatiation of how the fall of mankind from Earth should be. The pace balance is unforgetable.

“Smoking Mirror” is a great oportunity to show to your friends that don’t like Metal. Two things; or they will never see you again, or they will love Jade and “Smoking Mirror.”

By the way, what an intriguing cover.

Jade “Smoking Mirror” was released on October 11th via Pulverised Records.

Title Tracking:

  1. Jade Emperor
  2. Dead Stone Mask
  3. Blossom
  4. Smoking Mirror

Watch “Dead Stone Mask” official music video here: