Magic, Miracles and Rhymes

It is unfortunate for Mischosen; most listeners of Magic, Miracles, and Rhymes will label Svarog's project as mere Summoning worship. Hell, I struggled to not make the comparison at first; the similarities are sometimes staggering. Then again, that's the inevitability of any band that plays a progressive sort of atmospheric black metal. Hailing all the way from Croatia (A country that is in desperate need of more bands, for sure), the music present on this rather lengthy demo can be described briefly as Oath Bound without the Tolkein themes. However, there are a few nuances to Mischosen that sets itself enough away from their Austrian influence, enough to warrant checking out this demo.

What grabbed my attention first was how Magic, Miracles, and Rhymes was mixed and produced. When listening, one gets a distinct sense that the demo is hovering dangerously close to being entirely electronic; every instrument, including Svarog's vocals, is audibly enhanced with a distinct electronic feel, not to mention the remarkably high production quality – or is that merely a byproduct of the heavy electronic mixing? The vocals, while not quite imitating those of Silenius or Protector, nevertheless carry that unmistakable synthesized quality to it, but at lower and constant pitch. Despite them being harsh vocals, one cannot help but to be entranced, and sometimes soothed, by their presence. The remaining instruments blend together effectively enough to convey a real sense of serenity, albeit not wholly 'epic' in sound.

What I definitely did not get, and that's perhaps for the best, was a feeling of immenseness and epicness from the music. My fault for expecting it? Perhaps, but that seems rather par-for-the-course with somebody labeled as Summoning worship. Anyway, Magic, Miracles, and Rhymes plays with more of a ethereal, serene, and dreamy approach to atmosphere. Despite obvious references to death such as, “I know no taste of joy no more/ ... / Death is my relief.” off of Upon the Lonely Road, there are an equal number of – if not greater – references to the stars and rest of the cosmos. This idea of entwining death with the universe suggests music not of grandeur, but peacefully sad and serene, which is only reinforced by the intricacy of the synths and other instruments.

This demo is not without flaws though. First, as somebody who loves the percussion on an demo, no matter how minimal it's presence, the up-tight, almost industrial quality of the drums irked me. I feel had they not been enhanced with the same qualities as the other instruments, their natural reverberations would have done the demo's sound a favor. Secondly, the guitar is easily the quietest instrument present. More often than not one will simply be unable to hear it over the oftentimes soaring keyboards and synthesizers, not to mention Svarog's voice, which may also grate on some listeners as monotony rarely goes without some sort of complaint.

Summoning influenced? You bet, but I wouldn't call this a worship band. There are too many differences; from lyrical themes to song structure to nearly everything that isn't vocals. I keep hesitating to call this a demo; clocking out at 46 minutes with seven tracks seems more suitable for a full length – Svarog certainly had the musical aptitude on this album for it to be so. 'Boring' will not be a word you'll use to describe this album, I mean demo! An exceptional chunk of symphonic / atmospheric black metal this is, and so the recommendation goes for any fan of such music. Noteworthy songs include Decaid Dominion, Among the Stars, and Dreaming Life Away. Also, contrary to my feelings, the intro and outro instrumental sections are indeed not pointless, and very much exceptionally composed and beautiful, fitting in context with the whole of Magic, Miracles, and Rhymes.

I for one eagerly await the release of a full length under the Mischosen name.