Palace of Mirrors

For the book by Margaret Peterson Haddix, see Just Ella § Companion book.

Palace of Mirrors
Studio album by Estradasphere
Released	September 19, 2006
Studio	The Studio, Jason's House Pine Forest Studio
Genre	Experimental rock progressive rock avant-garde metal symphonic metal
Length	59:00
Label	The End
Producer	Jason Schimmel Tim Smolens Timba Harris
Estradasphere chronology
Passion for Life (2004) Palace of Mirrors (2006)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Maelstrom.nu	8.2/10 [2]

Palace of Mirrors is the fourth and final full-length album by Estradasphere. It was released on September 19, 2006. The album is composed entirely of instrumental tracks.

The album also signifies a significant change in the band's lineup, with the departure of saxophonist and vocalist John Whooley. This departure is reflected in the album's sound de-emphasis of horns (only being a part of orchestral backing played by session musicians) and vocals.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Title"	Jason Schimmel, Tim Smolens	0:34
2.	"Palace of Mirrors"	Schimmel	3:41
3.	"A Corporate Merger"	Smolens, Timba Harris, Adam Stacey	8:16
4.	"The Terrible Beautypower of Meow"	Kevin Kmetz, Smollens, Harris	4:01
5.	"Colossal Risk"	Smollens, Harris	4:36
6.	"The Unfolding Pause on the Threshold"	Smollens, Harris	4:17
7.	"Smuggled Mutation"	Traditional	4:48
8.	"Six Hands"	Schimmel	1:12
9.	"The Debutante"	Schimmel	2:44
10.	"Flower Garden of an Evil Man"	Smollens, Harris, Stacey	6:16
11.	"Those Who Know..."	Smollens, Harris	5:18
12.	"Palace of Mirrors (Reprise)"	Smollens, Harris, Schimmel, Trey Spruance	6:20
13.	"The Return"	Smollens, Harris, Schimmel	6:19
Total length:			59:00

Personnel

Estradasphere

• Jason Schimmel – acoustic and electric guitars, bass, organ, lap-steel guitar, keyboards
• Adam Stacey – accordion, piano, clavinet, melodica, organ, synthesizers
• Tim Smolens – double bass, bass, guitars, keyboards, harmonica
• Kevin Kmetz – guitars, shamisen
• Timba Harris – violin, trumpet, percussion, mandolin, electric guitars
• Lee Smith – drums (tracks 1, 3–8, 10–13)

Additional musicians

• Aria DiSalvio – cello (tracks 2, 4, 13)
• Kaethe Hostetter – viola (tracks 2, 4, 13)
• Sarah Hart – violin (tracks 2, 4, 13)
• Dan Robbins – double bass (tracks 2, 9)
• Mike Shannon – drums (tracks 2, 9), additional drums (track 5)
• Shelley Phillips – English horn (track 2)
• Issac Anderson – orchestral percussion (track 2)
• Charlie Gurke – baritone saxophone (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
• Scott Harris – bass trombone (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
• Luke Kirley – trombone (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
• John Thomas – tuba (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
• Jennifer Cass – harp (tracks 4, 5, 12)
• William Winant – timpani (tracks 4, 5, 11), glockenspiel (tracks 4, 5)
• Robin Anderson – trumpet (tracks 4, 5, 7, 11)
• Adam Stacey, Bob Hathaway, Chip Yamada, Jason Schimmel, Tim Smolens, Timba Harris – male choir (tracks 4, 5, 11)
• Shashona Brooks – vocals (tracks 4, 5)
• Renata Bratt – cello (tracks 5, 11)
• Elena Doroftei – viola (tracks 5, 11)
• Ben Blechman – violin (tracks 5, 11)
• Aaron Seeman – accordion (track 7)
• Fabrice Martinez – violin (track 7)
• Eric Lesch – French horn (track 9)
• Joel Ford – saxophone (track 9)
• Markos Sowlakis – clarinet, bass clarinet (track 12)

Production

• Jason Schimmel – production, engineering (tracks 1, 2, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13), mixing (tracks 1, 6, 8, 12, 13)
• Tim Smolens – production, engineering, mixing (tracks 1, 3–8, 10–13)
• Timba Harris – production, engineering, mixing (tracks 3–8, 10–13)
• Andrew Kapner – mixing (tracks 2, 9))
• Justin Phelps, Steve Armstrong – analog mixing
• Chris Parsons – engineering
• John Cuniberti – mastering

References

1. Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Palace of Mirrors – Estradasphere". AllMusic . Retrieved 20 June 2024.
2. Shaked, Avi. "Estradasphere – Palace of Mirrors – CD – The End Records – 2006". Maelstrom.nu. Archived from the original on 9 November 2009. Retrieved 20 June 2024.