EPK – Medevil – Mirror in the Darkness (2023)

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The album as a whole:
‘Mirror in the Darkness’ is our boldest step into different musical stylings than ever before. It is a very dark-sounding album mood-wise and can be described as ‘progressive power metal’ in most areas. Each song throughout sounds completely unique from each others, bringing out a new metal flavour unheard from the previous tracks. We also experimented with Drop-C tuning here on a couple songs, adding to the dark sound. While it is not a concept album, the lyrics throughout have consistent themes about heavy personal issues such as depression and the negativity you feel in life.

Track By Track:

1. Dead Before Birth – Kicking things off is Dead Before Birth, a hard-hitting opening track that begins with a drum-only intro. Featuring complex arrangements, precise timings, and vicious guitar riffs. Between the many different time signatures, dense guitar layers, and menacing chorus, Dead Before Birth’s goal is to be catchy while also challenging the listener. The lyrics are kept abstract, dealing in a metaphorical sense with the feelings of depression.

2. Among Thieves – Continuing directly from the first song is Among Thieves, with a sharp snap of the snare. A straight-shooting thrashy metal song – with some interesting twists – that bridges the gap sonically between Conductor of Storms and Mirror in the Darkness. Fans of the first album should appreciate this song. A triplet feels with unrelenting riffs, catchy bass lines, that is brought to life through Liam’s vocals and lyrical themes relating to greed, and stealing time (whether your own or someone else’s).

3. Pray for Me – A slower paced, moodier song with a dense atmosphere, and spacious chord progressions that give Liam room to shine on the vocals. The lyrics portray a person who is building walls around them, keeping others out and not wanting to deal with the world. Pray for Me is one of the more accessible tracks on the album, with a driving groove and lush production. Featuring dual guitar solos and biting vocal harmonies over a soaring chorus section that will definitely get stuck in your head.

4. The Signal – The fourth track on the album, The Signal is another venture into more progressive territory. This is the first song we could consider being an ‘epic’ on the album. This is also the first song to feature Ken Schellenberg’s orchestral elements. The Signal is a dynamic blend of heavy emotion and a delicate atmosphere. The lyrics are about looking for signs of issues or problems in your life, with themes of hospitals and life/death.

5. Smoke and Mirrors – An extension of The Signal, and the only instrumental on the album that acts somewhat like an intermission, cleansing the audio palette for the listener.

6. Weight of the Crown – Weight of the crown is the sixth track on the album. The lyrics are about power, responsibility, and the negativity that comes with that. Heavy is the head that wears the crown is taken from Shakespeare. Musically, the song explores a darker and heavier side of the band. A sinister opening, dynamic verses that grow in intensity, and escalating guitar and bass riffs give the listener a sense of overwhelming doom.

7. Mirror in the Darkness – The title track of the album. The lyrics explore the themes of not being comfortable with yourself, disliking what you see in the reflection, and trying to break through that mirror of darkness. This song is epic in length and has a more classic heavy metal styling inspired by power metal riffage. It also features orchestral elements throughout.

8. Gateways – Short and to the point, Gateways features an understated bass solo tucked beneath Liam’s vocal melodies and sprawling guitar chords. The song quickly elevates in intensity and pace, taking the listener somewhere they might not expect the first time around. The lyrics use digital media as a way to describe the negative escapism, where you become too addicted to the point where it affects the real life. The song ends almost as soon as it begins, abruptly leading directly into the next track.

9. Veiled – A progressive song written with a pop structure in mind, this song is a departure from our usual style. With heavy emphasis on atmosphere and groove, Veiled is mostly focused on the drums and bass, with flavours of keys and guitars used throughout. The song is our first to feature a synth solo. The lyrics are about someone who is struggling to change or accept change, yet still trying anyway, through different viewpoints. Climbing a hill, only to fall back down again.

10. No Peace in Rest – This track is the album closer, and the longest song. No Peace in Rest journeys through many different musical ideas and soundscapes with ruthless vocals, orchestral elements, dueling guitar solos, and clean passages. It encompasses many of the themes of the album, with the music tying back to the first song in the finale, creating a cycle. The song’s lyrics are independent from Dead Before Birth, but contain similar metaphors through Medusa rebuilding the earth of stone (watch them turn to stone). The perspective is from someone who is going through a journey through hell and climbing out of it to be reborn and start back again in the birth afterlife.

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Story Angles – Fun Facts:

1. Ken Schellenberg, who recorded the orchestra elements on the album, was also our drummer for a period at various live shows while we were looking for a new drummer after Ross left. His drum set came on wheels, and had a full lightshow and smoke machine built in!

2. While the drums were recorded in studio at Turtle Recording Studios in Vancouver, the rest of the album was recorded fully at home. Guitars, Bass, and vocals were all recorded by Brett at his house using Ableton Live.

3. Our first show we ever played was at a Church in Abbotsford, all the way back in 2014.

4. We performed in the Wacken Metal Battle Canada, placing in the Top 6 across Canada as a National Finalist. As a result, we opened up for Sepultura on their 30th Anniversary Tour show in Vancouver.

5. Eric Wesa was originally the guitarist, and Liam Collingwood was both bass and vocals back before the group was fully formed. After getting two answers from a Craigslist ad looking for a new guitarist from both Brett Gibbs and Gary Cordsen back-to-back, Eric decided to take over bass. This stroke of Craigslist luck forever defined the unique blend of guitar styles that make up our sound.