Mountain Mirrors' "The Immortal Deadbeats" Is Just That

Self described as starting in a “voodoo-riddled mountainside catacomb”, Mountain Mirrors’ new four-song EP entitled The Immortal Deadbeats conjures up the image of an army of angry trolls marching out of the woods of Massachusetts strapped with their acoustic guitars and ready to take over. But have no fear, these guys don’t pose too much of a threat- they only want to rock out. Part of their problem though, and they might not even know it since they’ve been holed up in the woods for so long, is that they’re tunes have already been done before. But if you are vertically challenged or are a troll yourself then you won’t have any problem getting your little groove on.

The brain child of Jeff “The Sandman” Sanders, Mountain Mirrors is a blending concoction of murky acoustics and dark psychedelia. They display hard rock roots at times with a subdued mellow contrast that allows them to stretch their songs out. They seemingly put themselves in a hole from the start with three out of the four songs being over five minutes, leading the listener to wonder how they are going to fill in the time, but they manage to get themselves out with enough break-downs and drawn out solos. The whole EP moves at a relatively slow pace however, which can put a strain on the listener‘s patience.


Originality is a hurdle on this collection of songs, too. Mountain Mirrors can’t avoid showcasing its love for Pink Floyd and every hard rock band that has ever took themselves too seriously and decided to “conquer” the world with introspective acoustic pieces. By not defiantly separating itself from its influences, Mountain Mirrors‘ The Immortal Deadbeats unfortunately becomes a copy of what’s already been done before.


But trolls always have a few tricks up their sleeves and can never be counted out. The best parts of the EP are the break-downs and solos. The verses and choruses often get lost and sound alike, but the instrumental sections are what manage to catch your ear. Examples include the hop-scotch jump in “Ascension Vibes” and the zapping synth solo that saves the otherwise drab title track. The Tool-ish sounding “Wash Me Away” is also memorable for it’s lush and hypnotic outro. If Mountain Mirrors just focused on instrumental pieces and expanded that area of their sound further, abandoning their weak verses and choruses, they have the potential to put together a good record.