Biography
Established in 1990, the German traditional doom band Mirror of Deception endured nearly ten years of limited gigs and a scattering of demo recordings before breaking free from anonymity via their independently issued 1997 EP Veil of Lead. The release finally generated momentum for the lineup then consisting of vocalist Markus Baumhauer, guitarists Michael Siffermann and Jochen Fopp, bassist Klaus Schmidt, and drummer Gunnar Drescher, leading the group to ink a deal with Miskatonic and deliver their first album Mirrorsoil in 2001. Mirror of Deception subsequently joined European and English road jaunts alongside Solstice and Warning, yet Baumhauer exited in 2002, prompting guitarist Siffermann to assume lead vocals on the 2003 Conversion EP—a role he has retained ever since. Ongoing lineup flux prompted another rhythm-section overhaul, with bassist Andreas Taller and drummer Jochen Müller joining for the 2004 follow-up Foregone. At that point the band’s serviceable yet somewhat conventional approach to doom appeared unlikely to lift them above cult status, a suspicion borne out by the scant attention paid to 2006’s Shards and the later split EPs shared with Tefra in 2008 and Garden of Worm in 2009.
Albums
