The song, Mirror of Souls

[Arkatox]

This is actually just a summary I wrote for this thread, explaining why Mirror of Souls is my favorite song, but I figured it would deserve its own thread.

Mirror of Souls: Story songs are by far my favorite type of song, and no story has ever been told as well as this one. The first time I listened to it-- alone in the dark with my eyes closed-- it was one of the most surreal experiences I have ever had. I felt the emotion, the pain, the relief, the fear, the despair... I felt it all. By the end I was so left in despair that I actually wondered if the song would have a good ending. I knew Theocracy was a Christian band-- I'd heard almost all of their other songs by this time-- and my brothers said MoS was an amazing song, but still I doubted that it ever could have a good ending. When the ending did come, I wept. When the keyboard at the end faded away I felt like crying after it to come back. In short, Mirror of Souls became my all-time favorite song, and has been ever since.

Has anyone else had any similar experiences?

 

[Rob Taylor]

The final chorus definitely has the ability to bring tears to my eyes! In fact, it's one of those rare song moments that can give me goose bumps just thinking about it. The message of redemption and mercy is very powerful in the story of this song. And the music is okay, too.

 

[Ry guy]

Most. epic. song. ever. The fact that this song can keep my attention for the whole 22 minutes is a testament to the song itself. At no part in the song is do I feel it bog down or get stale. It too invokes some strong emotion in me. Definitely my favorite song with martyr coming in a close second.(out of all the songs i listen to, not just theocracy)

 

[Seripha]

The fact that this song can keep my attention for the whole 22 minutes is a testament to the song itself.

I couldn't have said it better myself. This song paints such a powerful mental picture for me. The closing verse gets me misty-eyed almost every time. Matt Smith is by far one of the most anointed songwriters I've ever heard, and I've heard a LOT of Christian music in my day.

 

[Verbum Lux]

The fact that this song can keep my attention for the whole 22 minutes is a testament to the song itself. At no part in the song is do I feel it bog down or get stale.

Agreed, and it manages to pull it off without any extended instrumental segments, which at least in my experience is unusual for a song of that length.

Anyway, as I've said elsewhere, it's my all-time favorite song. I can't think of another song that has an emotional impact on me that's even close to MOS. It's a beautiful song, and it's one that I really identify with strongly.

And the ending, it's just.......glorious. I can't think of a better way to say it. Powerful stuff.

 

[Craigsnedeker]

MoS is an epic song, and I think we all agree on that one!

 

[FleshAndBloodTheocracy]

I just think all the metaphors are brilliant.

Obviously there's the imputed righteousness bit, and the warning to not judge ourselves by those around us. But even the more subtle things - God (the MoS) is separated from the narrator by a chasm, much as we are separated by our sin (Isaiah 59:2). Jesus (the stranger) then built a bridge from death (the storm) to life (the shelter). Then there's vanity (house of mirrors) leading to the destruction caused by sin (the storm). So much truth in those 22 minutes.

 

[SeaStorm]

It's interesting that I have ended up in the same place as everyone else, but I took a different path. Unlike OP, who felt all this after one listen, I found this track to be extremely inaccessible to me for a long time. As I fell in love with all of the album's other songs first, there was a time when I thought this was the weakest song.

I can still remember (painfully) when I ran into Matt at ProgPower when I was still in that state. I had listened to the song 15-20 times (or somewhere around there) and it still had not grown on me. He asked me, quite excitedly, what I thought of that song in particular. I hated that I showed a so-so face and said "I'm still working on it and letting it grow on me", though that was the truth at the time. I felt like I broke his heart just a little bit

Of course, since then, it has unleashed its full power on me. While it may not be my all-time favorite Theocracy song (though it's up there), it is clear to me it is the best work they've done, for all the reasons you guys said above