Finally, due the kind heart of a fellow tape trader, am I able to get my hands on this incredible album. Long out of print, A Velvet Creation, while very different in sound from Mirrorworlds, does still hold the same degree of emotional impact as the later album. Propelled by Erlandsson's creative yet stable percussion, AVC is really a guitar album, highlighted by the incredible use of melody lines throughout the entire disc. What sets Eucharist apart from the other "major" Swedish groups is that these guys, especially lead man Johnsson, seem to be severely tortured souls who display everything through their music. Things are intense, yet not forced, letting the songs stay constant in power while allowing dynamic shifts in the tempo to not interfere. Yeah, a complicated explanation, but this is one of those albums that you really need to hear to appreciate. While the whole thing is a bit rawer than Mirrorworlds, and a bit more unfocused, it's still an incredible album in a truly primal sense, only hampered a little by lower budget production. It's really hard to find this gem, but if you can, seek it out, fans of anything from the early days of Gothenburg will not be disappointed. The perfect blend of furied emotions.
9 out of 10

There are just some albums where upon hearing the first chord progression, you know that you will just be blown away. Mirrorworld does exactly that. As with every great album, there is something extra which sets it apart, and I've been trying for days over repeated listens to figure out what is so damn good about this album. First off, this doesn't sound like an album recorded in 1997. The production seems intentionally thicker and less precise, the ride cymbal is way loud in the mix, and the overall tone screams 80's for some reason. Yet it works, and these are exactly the points that will make Mirrorworld age gracefully. The absence of crystal clear digital production allows a certain warmth and melody to flow which is absent from so much today, and makes for a very emotional album. Unmistakably though, this is death metal, from the rapid fire double bass/ blast beat attack to the tortured scream vocals, which will surely push this into the hands of many a hardcore fan. Another element added here is the beat displacement in the mid-tempo sections, which changes the whole feel of the song. Instead of the accents on 2 and 4, as in traditional rock, they're a half beat later, and this is I guess where having the ride cymbal so prominent pays off, for it keeps the listener right in place with the song. There is a definite theme to the album, and ideas do tend to run throughout, but there is no sense of repitition (for me). The instrumental In Nakedness is an abrupt change, sounding more like In A Silent Way era Miles Davis than anything else. Almost haunting at times, Mirrorworld is up there with the best of the recent releases, and is mandatory listening.
9 of 10