Track By Tracks: Mirror Of Deception - Transience (2026)

Mirror of Deception: "Transience“ Track by track

(Comments by Pascal & Jochen)

1. Death, Deliver Us:

This song existed for quite some time in various forms just to finally be brought in by Pascal as a rough demo to be rehearsed and polished as a collective. It seemed a perfect fit for the band as nautical themes have been previously successfully explored on earlier releases. ‘Death, Deliver Us’ is directly inspired by Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. Specifically the voyage of the vessel “Demeter” carrying the antagonist by sea to the shores of Whitby, England. Some lines are direct quotes from the book but some liberties were taken to make it fit within the confines of the song.

2. Currents:

Folk music, especially from Scandinavia, has always been an influence and part of the Mirror of Deception sound. Much more so than blues. Even though this has never been expressed through the use of actual traditional instruments, it was always present in the spirit, melodies, harmonies and song structures. ‘Currents’ is probably one of the most consistent examples of this. The entire song is based on a few simple drone melodies. Drone here means that the melody is played on a higher string and simultaneously on a lower open string. This technique originated in Asia, but has also been present throughout Europe and Africa for a very long time. Added to this are a bit of throat singing and some melodies inspired by Swedish folk music. All combined with a relentless dose of heaviness.

The lyrics are about the forceful passage of water from a small mountain spring into the sea. While ‘Slow Winds’ describes an ascent, ‘Currents’ is a descent from a completely different perspective. However, it made more sense for the flow of the album to arrange the songs in this order.

3. Haven:

The shortest song on this release and one of the shortest songs overall in our career. Heavily melodic, ‘Haven’ is also hiding some surprises. The first ever Mirror Of Deception song until now that features some guttural vocals. As for the topics it touches upon: wordless communications, the longing for understanding, the desire to escape and the benefits thereof. As they say, “still waters run deep”, and as we say, “silence transcends words”.

4. Slow Winds:

The heart, soul, centrepiece and probably most melancholic track on this album is ‘Slow Winds’. It is about a farewell, an escape, a journey into the unknown. It was inspired in part by the movie ‘Iceman’ (2017) and above all by hikes in the Alps and Andes in the face of colossal nature, against which we small humans are completely insignificant. It was recorded as a demo by Jochen a few years ago and was the first new song we worked on together.

5. Consumed:

This is one of the riff-heavier songs on here with a beautifully outdrawn ending. The song ‘Consumed’ explores themes of self-destruction when dealing with life's challenges. Many of the images in the lyrics use fire to symbolise the intense, overwhelming force of despair, suggesting an embrace of it rather than surrender. With the embers of hope having not been extinguished quite yet. So there is some positivity and hope shining through. Especially towards the end of the song. Both musically and lyrically.

6. The Sands:

‘The Sands’ is balancing overwhelming lyrical chaos with beautiful hooks and a steadily marching, dense riff. Breaking through in the middle part with heavy-hearted melodies and leaving you with a bittersweet relief in the end.

This song can be taken literally or metaphorically. Depending on who you ask in the band, the interpretations can be quite different. The lyrics were written by Jochen and iterated in a few sessions with Pascal. Ask yourself these questions: What if everything you rely on suddenly breaks apart? What if everything changes despite your best efforts? What if everything gets too much? And how will you come out on the other side? “As far as the horizon stretches, the unknown”.

7. Meander:

The final song on the record was also the last song to be written and recorded. It begins very sparsely with haunting vocals, just a few cymbals, a bass and a heart-wrenching, clean delay guitar, the sudden, heavy and brutal discovery, followed by a mesmerising Ebow part, before transitioning into an intense, epic and almost cinematic ending.

Thematically, we explore the Tollense valley in northern Germany, Today a tranquil river valley with a peacefully meandering little stream. But this site has witnessed a terrible tragedy that took place around 1250 BC, almost 3300 years ago. With hundreds, if not thousands, of victims. Some archaeologists call it Europe's first battle; others, an unequal massacre on a large scale. It was buried and hidden by nature itself, only to come to light again at a much later point in time. Old wounds may seem forgotten, but they will eventually re-appear and even the most charming places might have their dark secrets.

Support independent metal journalism — Visit the official BTC store