Calling a record ‘energetic’ doesn’t mean a lot by itself, but it truly is the first word that I would use to describe Mirror Queen‘s new album Dying Days. From the unpredictable and dynamic song structures to how every part of the mix seems to burst out of the speakers, Dying Days is, somewhat counter-intuitively, incredibly alive. It’s music made to shine live, where guitar heroics are just as important as having a rhythm section that threatens venues’ structural integrity.
As the dual guitar element of Kenny Kreisor and Morgan McDaniel melds wild soloing with evocative riffs and textures, the band’s rhythm section responds in kind: drummer Jeremy O’Brian brings a freewheeling, in-the-pocket feel that stays fully in sync with James Corallo’s huge bass tone. Musically, the same formula that made their last album Inviolate so fantastic is still the core principle here: prog rock-inspired psych with an emphasis on the ‘rock’.There’s almost no bands out there that can justifiably cite both Wishbone Ash and Iron Maiden as influences, and yet by the end of the opening title track on Dying Days, they’d already convinced me.
Despite having a stronger grasp on dynamics than most bands in their pantheon, it’s also fascinating how every single moment on Dying Days is, somehow, loud. Not only is this new chapter another adventurous dive into the band’s imaginative songwriting, from a production standpoint Dying Days is about as close as you can get to having this four-piece plunked right into your living room.
To bring the music even closer to listeners, guitarist/vocalist Kenny Kreisor gave us a track-by-trackdown of how this album came into being — keep reading below and check out the record now.
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‘Dying Days’
A Morg song pretty much through and through yet one we thought really encapsulates the MQ band vibe and thus worked hard as a band to complete: riffy hard rock, hooky, a bit of sci-fi imagery, a lot of guitar work that hastens through a packed arrangement. A very suitable title track and album opener.
‘Cityside’
Inspired by everything from Camel to Stereolab to 60s pop, Kenny’s romantic/escapist song shifted gears to hard rock due to the muscular efforts of the MQ rhythm section. The solo section was designed for Morg to wail, and he sure did – I did the short solo just after the righteous peregrination of his.
‘Scapa Flow’
This Kenny-originated instrumental had at its heart a dark, swelling vibe that conjured images of cold ocean waves and currents; the great natural harbour of Scapa Flow, which has served as a calm refuge from the North Sea for centuries, came to mind for a title. After my main riffs were established Morg provided of all the melodies and solos except for the bluesy middle one, and the guys had fun with the funky time signatures. As with all the songs I’m generally on the left side of the stereo field and Morg is on the right.
‘Closing In the Gap’
A Morg song and idea, and he provided the title (and pre-chorus) suggesting imagery for the rest of the lyrics, which seems to be about any differences between what one sees and what one hopes is real. Morg also took charge of a bit of sound design to add to the fun, particularly with headphones. A hard-charging song with a somewhat wistful ending section finishes side A.
‘Far-flung’
A Kenny song that needed everyone to pitch in for the arrangement and complementary parts, I just had the chords, words, and a basic sketch. Another example of an attempt to fuse catchy hooks with a slight proggy feel and loads of guitar, plus sci-fi type lyrics; reckon it’s the BÖC influence coming through again. It’s the only appearance of acoustic guitars on the album and bassist James really shone on this one. We love the swingy guitar hook on the outro!
‘This is My Song’
We adore the Scorpions, particularly their rocking yet beautiful music from the 70s, and thought Jeremy (drums) and James really rose to the occasion on this reverential cover. There’s a small personal story to this one, which I’m happy to tell anyone over a drink…
‘Strider’
A Kenny tune which got a major Morg contribution for the ride-out, amongst other additions throughout. Besides those the song went through so many permutations I don’t really recall how it arrived at its final form. For example the original rhythm guitar part/riff ended up really being the foundation for the bass line. Truly a four-way musical co-write on this one. The lyrics are simply about trying harder and how that’s difficult when losing someone to outside distractions or demons.
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Dying Days is out today via Tee Pee Records.
