Mirror Of The Middle Ages (previously released as a special limited vinyl edition only) is already the sixth full length release by this American medieval trio; pretty ironic if you think about it; the American nation wasn’t even around yet during that period of time. Although it’s very hard to connect this album (and The Soils Bleeds Black’s music in general) with Rockezine I decided, nevertheless, to write this review. Traditional music should never be ignored, and if you are a fan of folkloric music this might be exactly what you need.

First of all, The Soil Bleeds Black has tried to emulate the sound and atmosphere from the medieval times as accurate as possible and has admittedly succeeded at that. The music is dark, atmospheric and very authentic. Mirror Of The Middle Ages features several original compositions as well as pieces interpreted by the band, ranging from the early medieval period to the renaissance.

Especially the extensive usage of Latin adds to the general atmosphere.

One very interesting song is “Pastime With Good Company” which portrays the different approach compared to compatriot medieval band Blackmore’s Night. The track is very dark and sounds a whole lot more authentic. Don’t get me wrong, you can hardly compare the two, and I’m not trying to dish Blackmore’s Night here. I’m just depicting the difference in style; while Blackmore’s Night is more upbeat and very pleasant to listen to, The Soil Bleeds Black is gloomy and depressing.

Mirror Of The Middle Ages is not a CD you can listen to at any given moment of the day; you really have to be in the mood for it. On the positive side: it makes great background music for roleplaying evenings.