REVIEW

This is the second album from Mirror Of Haze, the solo project of Norway-based Vadym Markov. Markov has cited strong influences from 1980s goth and post-punk acts such as The Cure, The Chameleons, and Fields of the Nephilim, as well as 1990s shoegaze and dream pop bands like Slowdive. On the debut album “The End Is the Beginning,” he presented a minimalist post-punk sound centered on dreamy guitar textures. Two years later, this new release marks a decisive shift toward a full-fledged shoegaze approach.

The aurora-like guitar work that defines Mirror Of Haze not only gains additional weight and shimmer here, but appears to push beyond the stratosphere altogether, radiating a beauty that feels as if it could reach the heart of the galaxy. Adding further depth and color to the album are four guest vocalists—Anne Marie, Kim Bell (Broken Nails), Iris Capricorn, and Dani Mari (Primitive Heart)—all artists rooted in the gothic tradition. One particularly striking detail is that Iris Capricorn turns out to be “Dame Pandora,” the vocalist of the French darkwave / neoclassical band Dark Sanctuary, active since 1996. The unexpected connection between a gothic institution and a shoegaze-oriented project suggests a quiet but meaningful cross-pollination between scenes.

Among the tracks, the standout is track #4, “Here’s Where We Belong,” a twin-vocal wall-of-sound shoegaze piece featuring Iris Capricorn’s enigmatic voice. The song unfolds with a cinematic sense of scale, evoking images of two figures left alone aboard an interstellar migration ship, drifting through the void before finally arriving at a blue, unknown planet. It is a deeply dramatic moment that encapsulates the album’s balance between overwhelming volume and otherworldly beauty.