Getting a bunch of metalheads together to rock out and make a mostly straightforward rock record is always interesting, because inevitably, there's always a hint of metal within the context of the album. Be it a thrash oriented riff, a nice burst of double kick work, or some acidic screams, no one makes a better hard rock record than a bunch of metalheads.
One-way Mirror's self titled debut is no exception. With members of Soilwork, Mnemic, and Lyzanxia, what you've got essentially, is a metal supergroup of sorts on your hands. What makes the project different though, is that instead of these guys getting together to write an album of death/thrash or otherwise Metal oriented songs, like alot of other metal vets have done, they simply wanted to write a record full of songs to rock the fuck out to. And they've succeeded in doing just that.
The music on this record is well put together, and while it has plenty of screams and other elements that you typically only find in a Metal record, there's a solid pop structure to the songs that makes them a lot more accessible than your average metal song. From the verse/chorus/verse formula, to easy to remember sing along choruses, One-way Mirror is a band that could easily be played on commercial rock radio alongside the likes of Disturbed, Mudvayne and others.
Every song on this album, from the opener, 'Destination Device", to the closing track, "Liberation", has potential to be a single. Each song stands on it's own, but fits right in like pieces to a puzzle in the context of the album. Of course, one of the best (or worst, depending on your own personal opinon) things about this album is their cover of the 80's radio hit "Relax". Whether you liked the original or not, it's always intersting to hear a band cover a song that's not typical or expected....
