Mirror of My Soul â October Is Rising Review
By Andy-War-Hall
Nowâas summer blasts the Earth into a fly-ridden heathâis when I long most for fall. So I get why Patrik Andersson Winbergâs (Dun Ringill, Doomdogs) new solo project Mirror of My Soul would debut this June with October Is Rising.1 A folk project empowered with hard rock muscle and gothic gravitas, Mirror of My Soul aims for atmospheric storytelling and organic song structuring. Joined by drummers Pete Campbell (Axe Dragger, ex-Pentagram) and Tobbe Strandvik, keyboardist Per Wiberg (Tiamat, ex-Opeth), guitarist Patric Grammann (Dun Ringill) and a whole host of vocalists,2 October Is Rising is poised to be an introspective, moody, and engrossing trek through rustic moods and colder temps. But is this album autumnâs light at the end of the tunnel, or is there no relief from summer to be found here?
October Is Rising is a clinic on complementary musicianship. Working within gothic country, folk, and blues rock, October Is Rising lives in slow, sparse compositions that wonât wow listeners with panache. Songs like âA Good Day to Dieâ and âThe Owlâ use simple guitar and banjo parts, respectively, to set the stage for spirited vocal performances, while âOctober Is Risingâ and âGrandpaâ utilize particularly minimal instrumentation to highlight their singersâ stories. Mirror of My Soul can rip it when necessary, as heard on the Jethro Tullesque flute riffing on âMina Fotavtryckâ and the slick hi-hat work on âDancing Slowly on the Porch,â but October Is Risingâs musical prowess lies less in individual performance and more in band dynamics. âLost in the Red Wineâ and âThe One Who Sings the Songsâ pulse in ways that sneakily build and bounce off their individual parts to sound a lot bigger than their thin instrumentation would imply. Mirror of My Soul is composed of industry veterans, and it sounds like it; these guys bring out the best in each other.
Setting rich moods and storytelling are Mirror of My Soulâs game. Theyâre pros at it. October Is Rising is a pensive autumnal stroll through gloom with the sort of eerie coziness that at varying times reminded me of Fields of the Nephilim, Current 93, and the Over the Garden Wall soundtrack.3 Soundscapes of pale light and fresh darkness bestow tracks like âThe Painter,â âGrandpa,â and âTree on that Hillâ a deeply affecting and melancholic quality, shaped by the aforementioned stark instrumentation and poignant vocals. October Is Rising is littered with pathos-imbued bars delivered with conviction, where phrases as obtuse as âThe bad news was a feather from a dead birdâ (âThe Letterâ) hit with the sensitivity of straightforward heart-wrenchers like âThe trees showed me how to make it all last. There is no future without a vivid pastâ (âTree on that Hillâ). Mirror of My Soul bring everything youâd want from a singer-songwriter project musically: bittersweet strolls down memory lane, deep into introspection.
October Is Rising listens like a work of singular vision, but not of one voice. There are no bad singers on October Is Rising, mind you, and the diverse cast can be a boon. There arenât many records out there that can, in one moment, recall Alice in Chains (âCoyoteâ) and Peter Gabriel the next (âTree on that Hillâ),4 Lou Reed one minute (âCarry Your Soulâ) and Johnny Cash another (âA Good Day to Dieâ). But this committee approach also deprives October Is Rising of singer-songwriter musicâs strongest aspect: the intimate conversation between artist and audience. Itâs hard to think of Mirror of My Soul as Winbergâs personal exploration of a gloaming Earth when you have to adjust to a new singer every song. October Is Rising still feels cohesive thanks to Winbergâs consistent and compelling songwriting, but I believe one or two good singers wouldâve made the record connect that much better.
Mirror of My Soul bring the wistfulness of autumn on October Is Rising. Tight musicianship and smart songwriting carry the listener through Winbergâs stories, sometimes outlandish and always engaging. Though I think one singer wouldâve made Mirror of My Soul a more focused entityâor perhaps one singer across every song Ă la Tobias Sammet of AvantastiaâOctober Is Rising is nevertheless a greatly enjoyable work that I could confidently recommend to anyone interested in gothic rock/country/folk. At the very least, when the upcoming months get hot as balls, itâll be a good reminder that, in the near future, October Is Rising indeed.
Rating: Very Good
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: WAV
Label: Majestic Mountain Records
Websites: mirrorofmysoul.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/mirrorofmysoul
Releases Worldwide: June 12, 2026
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