The Sham Mirrors is the third studio album by Norwegian avant-garde metal band Arcturus. It was released on April 9, 2002.
| The Sham Mirrors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 22, 2002 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Genre | Avant-garde metal, progressive black metal | |||
| Length | 43:13 | |||
| Label | Ad Astra Enterprises | |||
| Arcturus chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Chronicles of Chaos | 9.5/10[2] |
The Sham Mirrors is a departure from the band's previous albums, featuring a much more modern, space-influenced sound, as opposed to the layered, classical melodies of 1997's La Masquerade Infernale. The album contains elements of trip hop, ambient music and electronica in addition to the band's usual progressive black metal sound. Lyrically, the album deals with abstract science fiction-themed subjects, a stark contrast to the theatrical and Satanic lyrics of the band's earlier work. The album cover depicts a model drawing of the upper part of the Apollo spaceship.
This is the last album to feature Kristoffer Rygg on vocals.
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Kristoffer Rygg, except tracks 4 and 6, written by Jørn H. Sværen; all music is composed by Steinar Sverd Johnsen
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kinetic" | 5:25 |
| 2. | "Nightmare Heaven" | 6:05 |
| 3. | "Ad Absurdum" | 6:48 |
| 4. | "Collapse Generation" | 4:13 |
| 5. | "Star-Crossed" | 5:01 |
| 6. | "Radical Cut" | 5:08 |
| 7. | "For to End Yet Again" | 10:33 |
| Total length: | 43:13 | |
Personnel
edit- Arcturus
- Kristoffer Rygg (credited as "Trickster G. Rex") – vocals, producer, engineer
- Knut M. Valle – electric guitar, engineer
- Dag F. Gravem – bass guitar
- Steinar Sverd Johnsen – keyboards, engineer
- Jan Axel Blomberg (credited as "Hellhammer") – drums, percussion
- Additional Musicians
- Ihsahn – vocals (on "Radical Cut")
- Mathias Eick – trumpet (on "Ad Absurdum", "Collapse Generation" and "Radical Cut")
- Hugh Steven James Mingay – low frequentation (on "Radical Cut")
- Production Staff
- Phantom FX – co-producer
- Tore Ylwizaker – mixing
- Tom La Bomba – mastering
Charts
edit| Chart (2002) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[3] | 39 |
References
edit- ^ York, William. "The Sham Mirrors - Arcturus : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
- ^ Kalis, Quentin (7 April 2003). "CoC : Arcturus - The Sham Mirrors : Review". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
- ^ "Arcturus: The Sham Mirrors" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 7 December 2021.