Glassing have never sounded like a trio. Since Light and Death, all the way through to this release, Dustin Coffman, Cory Brim, and Scott Osment have been developing dense soundscapes that fill every second of the track with a varying formation of heaviness that builds, but never breaks. Collectively, the three-piece take every opportunity they get to push their minimalist instrumentation to maximalist lengths that always end with beautiful and haunting blackened post metal. Nothing is different here, as From the Other Side of the Mirror is a definitive album that shows what can be achieved in meditating on a collection of elements to achieve a new success. A sonic shift for bands usually tends to be dramatic, but also ignites a new sense of vitality (Deafheaven’s Infinite Granite is a great example of that).
What Glassing have done is somewhat of the opposite – no sonic reinvention, but also not retreating into tradition to make another album that sounds just like another Glassing album. However, every track on this album is easily identifiable subjectively as Glassing, but this time with a condensed potency. These dudes have been meditating on what makes Glassing, Glassing, and what we end up with is a new sense of clarity and vision, and a showcase of capabilities stemming from an unbreakable chemistry. Their elevated songwriting skills and a sonic purity couple together to form a newfound richness that enhances what Glassing were already doing well.
Coffman’s whispery, shoegazey murmurs sound crisp, and add softer connective tissue that binds together the heavier elements like on album opener on “Anything You Want”. The stompy death metal growls near the end of the track showcase how pristine his dynamics are and what he’s vocally capable of.
“Nothing Touches You” plays out as some of the slickest post-metal that has recently been released, while more genre-devout tracks like “As My Heart Rots” and “Defacer” share the brutality of their black metal identification – without stretching the bounds too far in either an experimental or extreme direction – to hold onto melodic qualities that feel more like a heavy and relentless storm, rather than the chaotic galloping black metal is usually known for. Overall, the aggression throughout the album never evolves past those melodic qualities, and effectively feels slick mostly due to the restraint Glassing has developed and the crystal-clear production that stays incredibly fresh.
Ethereal elements loosely lace all throughout the entire runtime of From the Other Side of the Mirror, but get an opportunity to come into full focus in setting up the end track. “The Kestral Goes” is a breathtaking interlude that finds Glassing experimenting with fringe electronica, mixing it with elements of downtempo and ambient, then finding and developing a melody that feels far fetched, but they magnetically swirl around each other then come together. It’s a chance to take a breath, and set the stage for the album’s end, but also exhibits their capacity for experimentalism. The optimistic qualities, that both this instrumental and the closer “Wake” have, feel like what one could describe as bright metal – comparable to what Deafheaven and Panopticon have similarly achieved. Altogether, the trio simply sound like they’re having a fucking blast, with Coffman’s vocals as buoyant as ever, Brim’s guitar work feeling more heavily airy than overbearing, both firmly anchored to the haymaker punchiness of Osment’s percussion.
Glassing have always done an excellent job in summoning emotion with complexity, seemingly mixing the dark and the hopeful with a balance that isn’t simple to pull off. Their live shows reinforce the palpable energy that permeates throughout their discography, and it sounds fucking awesome that collectively they’ve not only leaned into their unique elements, but have also lifted them up. From the Other Side of the Mirror is refinement over retread, which further develops a clear vision that’s familiar in that it sounds like Glassing, but also wholly unique in knowing that it’s From the Other Side of the Mirror. The breathtaking and horrific beauty that Glassing develop has never been more clearly focused, nor with more charm and confidence than on this album. It’s as captivating as it is painstakingly heavy, and takes meditative risks with confidence that makes the execution flawless.
