Release date: 10 April, 2026

Label: Independent

Review

“Stardrifter” opens with a 70s prog styled synth-laden intro, like something off of a Hällas record. The synths persist and become something almost science fiction, particularly reminding me of the Blade Runner and the Terminator scores. The more traditional black metal styled vocals are an initial shock, but the continued synths give it such a unique vibe. Fret not if you’re generally not a fan of the vocal styles of black metal, I found Tenebros’ delivery to be understandable but still have that black metal rawness. It’s more like a step above on the heaviness level, somewhat akin Kontact’s vocal style, yet it was a bit less grime-infested than Hexenbrett. The production on the instruments themselves is sublime for this one, with the guitar solo in particular sounding perfectly retro.

“Chronomancer” featured a more guitar and drum oriented approach, though the synths continued in the background like a cool wind. In speaking on the guitar parts first, the overarching riff was heavily Iron Maiden inspired (there’s a specific part about halfway through that is very Maiden-esque), while the rhythm sections reminded me a bit of Starscape (criminally underrated band). Drum wise, while there wasn’t anything extremely flashy or showy, it did have some incredible consistent grooves to it – amplified by some seriously killer production. This style of vocals isn’t typically for me, but when I find a band who hits with me, they hit like a ton of bricks.

“The Demon’s Offer” gave us our first taste of the clarinet, and automatically gives this album a 10/10. Please skip to the bottom of this page. I kid of course, but it’s so refreshing to hear an instrument that rock and metal hardly ever use, and it works here for the parts that it is used. It gives the track a swinging jazzy sort of vibe to it, combined with the 70s prog/space-rock synth work and the overall mood of the track is unlike anything I’ve heard in quite some time. Clarinet gives me the almost primal urge to sit in a dimly lit diner on a rainy night while I contemplate how dark and twisted my city has become. This was marvelous, I loved it. Tenebros had a great cadence to his vocals in this one that felt oddly comforting, but in like a cool metal way.

“The Witch’s Waltz” was the shortest track on the album at a bit under 4 minutes, though retained the same quality Astral Spectre had established from onset of Cosmic Mirage. The chorus is a bit more hooky this time around, making the track more accessible to those who may not personally favor the black metal styled vocals. In fact, this one had some really nice lyricism that made it incredibly easy to sing along with. While the prog rock is still present in the general sound of the instruments and the presence of the synthesizers, it was quite as overt on this one, instead being a bit more streamlined. In this writer’s opinion, I rather enjoyed it.

“Death of Osiris” boasted a runtime of just over 9 minutes and began with a smooth piece of clarinet that had an pronounced Middle Eastern flair to it (it reminded me of old-school RPG desert music), and the eventual main riff was also dripping in that same cultural flair. The first half of the track kept things at a slower pace, almost encroaching on doom territory, while the back half sped things up a bit. A particular standout is once again the clarinet, which nearly omnipresent throughout the track, but not in a way that feels overdone, nor does it feel like an extra instrument for the sake of having one.

“Dancing With Ghosts” perhaps appropriately enough, opened with a sequence that reminded me of Meliora/Prequelle-era Ghost. There’s a wonderful slow section around 2 minutes in that features a clean spoken word portion before a truly melodic and moody solo rips through. Speaking of guitar solos, this track features two of them and the second is beautiful despite its brevity. Overall, this one is probably the most “standard” sounding track on the album, though I still found it a great listen.

“Cosmic Mirage” was not only the title and final track, but also the longest on the album with a length of just under 9 and a half minutes. Once more the clarinet functions as a piece in the background throughout the beginning of the song, giving it such a noirish atmosphere. Ooh, the bridge section in the middle where the clarinet takes center stage while the guitars and drums take a backseat is magical. This wasn’t so much a song as it was a soundscape, though it did have lyrics and general song progressions, it was some proper dungeon crawling music.

Conclusion

I admit, I was at first hesitant about this one, as I typically am when bands have a black metal leaning sound. Similarly, Astral Spectre’s prior work hadn’t connected with me, though my tastes have shifted in the time since my last listens of those albums, yet Cosmic Mirage did so with gusto. It was exactly what I needed to cleanse my palette from a lot of the same-sounding bands that I’ve been hearing lately (generally speaking). Of course, the clarinet is a huge standout, and while I was worried that it may come off as a bit of a novelty, it truly completes the album as its missing puzzle piece. I’ll definitely be adding this one to my CD archive (nearly at 3k now!) and checking out Astral Spectre’s back catalog. Now that we have clarinet metal, it’s time for the bassoon to take center stage.

TheNwothm Score: 9/10

Links

Bandcamp: https://astral-spectre.bandcamp.com/album/cosmic-mirage

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialAstralSpectre

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/astral_spectre

Label: Independent