‘A very deserving debut’ – Review of Hollow Mirror

Ethereal Kingdoms live at Wintersun’s 15th anniversary show
Portrait by Skoett Photography

Sjak Roks of Dutch magazine Arrowlords of Metal entered the soundscapes on our debut album Hollow Mirror. He has shared his thoughts in this review here:

“(…) considering that the band has only been around for two years and considering that this is only their first album, we can certainly speak of a very deserving debut.”

“(…) the song material of Ethereal Kingdoms sounds quite bombastic over time, but luckily they regularly alternate with both subdued passages and very aggressive pieces. “

“The soprano vocals, the growls as well as the whisper vocals during the quieter passages are all provided by Sofia and that can be called quite impressive.”

“(…) The songs are definitely worth listening to and especially ‘Ashes Within’ (with its blast beats, heavily set orchestral parts, a very dark atmosphere and a lot of variation in the vocals for me the showpiece of this album) and ‘Endings’ appeal to the imagination(…)”

7,7/10 score! Thank you so much!
★★★★★★★★☆☆
Article in Dutch 🇳🇱

Thank you so much!

Enter Hollow Mirror
October 11th
VinylCDDigital

Pre-add to your preferred streaming service for free

Endings – A story of blind hope and bitter consequence
Video by the magnificent Scott Rudd Films
Mighty Music 2019

Other metal media outlets have said the following about Hollow Mirror:

6 of 6 stars – “Beauty interrupted by brutality” – Calle’s Rock Corner
82/100 score – “A complete range of voices” – Musica.be
8 of 10 stars – “A perfect balance of brightness and darkness” -Metal Temple
10 of 10 stars – “You’re in for an experience” – Metalized

Heavymetal.it interview

Sofia Schmidt live with Ethereal Kingdoms supporting Finntroll 2018

Finntroll. Sylvatica. Vanir.
A sold out venue. Special guests.
A broken violin.

That was the ingredients of Ethereal Kingdoms’ night supporting Finntroll at Gimle 21st of September 2018.

Fresh off stage with the adrenaline still rushing, Sofia spoke with journalist Davide Bonavida  of Heavymetal.it
In this very first italian magazine feature, they talk about musical influences for Ethereal Kingdoms, the creative process and performance.

Sofia Schmidt from Ethereal Kingdoms holding a broken violin at Finntroll support show at Gimle.
Sofia Schmidt with a shattered violin
Gimle at Finntroll support show 2018
Portrait by Gaia Micatovich

A few excerpts from the original interview in Italian 🇮🇹

“We wanted to create something unique that differentiates us, not just copy other bands. We don’t just make music, we create stories”

“I study as a classical singer (…) whereas Christian comes directly from death metal. The funny thing is that in our compositions it’s me who brings the chaotic part and the growling while he brings the nostalgic melodies.”

“(…) those who spend time listening to us cannot get that time back. So I want to make sure they have a good experience.”

“(…) you can’t wait for something to happen by itself, you have to do it yourself. We took initiative to organize this show. I contacted the club while Christian called the bands he already knew personally. (…) we needed a prominent name (…) so we contacted Finntroll, explaining our project and … they said yes. I could not believe it!”

Sofia Schmidt with Davide Bonavida for Heavymetal.it
Sofia Schmidt live with Ethereal Kingdoms supporting Finntroll 2018
Sofia Schmidt on the stage of Gimle at Finntroll support show 2018

Portrait by Gaia Micatovich

Thank you so much for taking time to talk with us, Heavymetal.it!

About the performance, the media said:

“They can write new pages in the history of this genre” – Heavymetal.it
“A sense for great melodies” – Blastbeast.dk

4 of 5 stars – “Flying pieces of a violin” – Metal A Day


Explore our performance of Endings from this night in this live video:

DEN TUNGE TIME | Interview with Sofia about the danish symphony metal scene

Den Tunge Radio – Symphonic metal special & Ethereal Kingdoms

Den Tunge Time – Ethereal Kingdoms og symfonisk metal tema – Podcast

60 minute radio show with special symphonic metal theme and interview with Ethereal Kingdoms vocalist SOFIA SCHMIDT about the Danish symphonic metal scene, her view on composition in the genre, the band’s recent signing with MIGHTY MUSIC and her unique vocal technique. 

Podcast in Danish only.


With: JEANETT ANDERSEN and KASPER BEHRENDT
Den Tunge Time via Den Tunge Radio
Published: 9th of October 2018

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