Home Reviews ALBUM REVIEW: THE MAGICIAN REVERSED – AND DEEPER STILL

    ALBUM REVIEW: THE MAGICIAN REVERSED – AND DEEPER STILL

    Album cover of And Deeper Still by The Magician Reversed

    FOLLOW DISCIPLINE MAG
    🙏🏼

    Senses obscured by a cold fog, you’re transfixed by a wicked mysticism while you hear a swelling noise on the periphery of your awareness before the ground caves in beneath you and you are swallowed whole. This image is brought to mind by ‘The Calling’, the first track off And Deeper Still, the occult debut album by Columbus, Ohio funeral doom outfit The Magician Reversed

    Spanning an eye-watering 100 minutes, the album hits (and occasionally exceeds) the hallmarks you would expect from a doom metal record including steadily chugging longform songs and a persistent haze of fog and smoke throughout the journey. The majority of And Deeper Still is a straightforward death-march to its conclusion, but atmosphere was clearly top of mind during the making of this album. When I listened to it the image I keep coming back to – which I think illustrates the work well – is black clouds shrouding the sun above Sauron’s forces marching out of Mordor to besiege Minas Tirith. The tracks have a sinister vibe, typically beginning with dark ambient synth work before exploding into riff-heavy guitars.

    There are places where things pick up with more energy and riffing than typical funeral doom (or at least the funeral doom I am familiar with). This culminates in the first half of the track ‘The Trials II,’ which has more of a death metal characteristic to it. Stylistic blending is a fine technique and used often to great effect, but there are points where things feel a bit more ‘riff to riff’ rather than a clear progression through a narrative. There are strong moments on this monster of a record, but also some tenuous ones. That said, And Deeper Still is a decent debut and I am curious to see how The Magician Reversed develops over time. 

    Overall, if you’re a fan of more atmospheric doom with blackened vocals, you’ll enjoy this record.

    If you’re looking for something in a similar vein, check out Discipline Mag’s recent review of Imaginary Dead by death/doom band DUSK

    Check Out The Magician Reversed

    On Bandcamp

    On Instagram

    On Facebook

    While you’re here…

    Discipline Mag is a labour of love. It’s a publication that comes from both creative ingenuity and pure passion. And importantly, it requires a phenomenal amount of work. From writing, delegating, editing, website building/maintenance, design, endless copy… not to mention the overheads for keeping the website alive and running.

    If you see the value in content like this, and you want the underground to survive and prosper, then please consider becoming a member of the Discipline Mag Patreon.
    Support Discipline Mag on Patreon by following the link in this photoOr alternatively, consider placing a donation to the publication via PayPal. No amount is too small, and every little bit helps!

    Donate to Discipline Mag on PayPal by following the link in this photoIf you are unable to contribute financially, please support this tireless work by FOLLOWING DISCIPLINE MAG ON SOCIAL MEDIA.

    Previous articleMOON MUSIQ NETLABEL OFFERING FREE BANDCAMP DOWNLOADS
    Next articleALBUM REVIEW: KOLLAPS – UNTIL THE DAY I DIE
    Drew Zercoe is a musician and award winning sound designer based out of Oakland, California. Releasing music under the moniker Field of Fear, his work explores the extremes of sound.