Patrik Andersson Winberg's Mirror of My Soul, a folk project with hard rock muscle and gothic gravitas, has released its latest album, October Is Rising. The album is a clinic on complementary musicianship, with a focus on slow, sparse compositions that showcase the band's dynamics rather than individual performances. The album is a pensive autumnal stroll through gloom, with a sense of eerie coziness that draws comparisons to Fields of the Nephilim, Current 93, and the Over the Garden Wall soundtrack. The album's rich moods and storytelling are a strength, with poignant vocals and pathos-imbued bars that hit with the sensitivity of straightforward heart-wrenchers. However, the album's committee approach, with multiple singers, deprives it of the intimate conversation between artist and audience that is a hallmark of singer-songwriter music. Despite this, the album is a greatly enjoyable work that could be recommended to anyone interested in gothic rock/country/folk. The album's release in June, a time when many people long for fall, is particularly fitting, as it brings the wistfulness of autumn to life.
