Review by Felix on December 26, 2022.

A good debut – who would deny it? – is always both a promising start and a burden for the second output. Sanctuary’s first statement had left its impact, no doubt about it, and so the bar was set high for “Into the Mirror Black”. Not only in terms of quality; another problem is always the difficulty to reproduce the wow effect of a more or less individual song-writing approach. Among other things, “Refuge Denied” had scored with its very personal character and Warrel Dane’s outstanding vocals. Naturally, “Into the Mirror Black” did not spread the magic of a new era – and to add insult to injury, it did not reach the compositional class of the debut as well.

Okay, production-wise everything lies in the acceptable range. The guitars spread sharp vibes, the drums do not lack power and the voice has the prominent place it deserves. Strangely enough, I would not speak of a full sound. “Into the Mirror Black” does not shine with a massive mix, it appears slightly porous from time to time. But by and large, the technical execution has been done well.

Unfortunately, the song-writing reveals unexpected weaknesses. “Bitter Taste” sounds pretty crisp, delivers some siren-like vocal lines of Warrel (R.I.P.) and creates a solid degree of pressure, but this is bitterly necessary after the vapid opener with its alarmingly deficient chorus line. By the way, even “Bitter Taste” cannot compete with the songs of the debut due to its somewhat bumpy flow. Thank God, the third track shows that Sanctuary are still able to demonstrate their real strength. “Long Since Dark”, equipped with thoughtful and doubting lyrics, presents itself strongly and combines up-tempo parts with effective riffs. It is one of these Sanctuary songs that flow smoothly without neglecting edges and corners – not to mention the emotional yet powerful vocals of Warrel.

The first third of the full-length depicts the dilemma of the album in its entity. While the debut gained more and more respect with every track, “Into the Mirror Black” is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs. The silent “Epitaph” convinces with regard to the coherent unity built by the fatalistic lyrics and the sad music, the chorus of the actually solid “Eden Lies Obscured” just comes and goes and the quasi title track reminds me of a stop-and-go traffic. It seems as if the band fears to release the brake and that’s a pity, even though there is enough substance in the songs to save the album from drowning completely in the sea of mediocrity.

It is not easy to identify the cause for this relative failure that brought us songs like “Seasons of Destruction”, where the single parts do not blend seamlessly with each other. An over-ambitious approach? Not enough time for the song-writing process? Tired from touring? I don’t know, perhaps a mix of these things and in the end it doesn’t matter. The album ends with the pretty strong, “Communion” (great, dizzying heights reaching chorus) and a conciliatory closer is always a good thing. Nevertheless, there can be no doubt that “Into the Mirror Black” stands in the shadow of “Refuge Denied”, even though the leafless trees cannot spend plenty of shadow.

Rating: 6.6 out of 10