“Into The Mirror Black”, originally released in 1990, is a truly special, much revered metal record, which received massive critical acclaim back when it came out and is still loved dearly to the very day.

Its gloomy atmosphere and thought-provoking lyrics, its brilliant mix borderlining heavy and thrash metal, its stellar guitar work and the expressive vocals of the one and only Warrel Dane (R.I.P.) are just some of the reasons why this record stood the test of time.

In 2020, “Into The Mirror Black” celebrates its 30th anniversary and while the plans to commemorate this event live with current singer Joseph Michael (Witherfall) had to be postponed, these limited triple vinyl and double CD deluxe editions created with guitarist Lenny Rutledge, honour the timeless grandeur of “Into The Mirror Black” extremely well.

The album was carefully remastered by Zeuss (Queensrÿche, Iced Earth, Overkill) to make it sound a bit fuller and heavier without losing the original feel and the extra tracks are real gems for SANCTUARY devotees: Three previously unreleased studio demos (incl. ‘I’m Insane’) and an entire, newly mixed 10- track live album from 1990, which was only partially released on a rare promo-EP. “The concert from 1990 is a total snapshot in time,” says Zeuss, “when the band was at its peak. It’s captured before the initial breakup which led to Warrel and Jim forming Nevermore. Hearing it brought me right back to the first time I personally saw them.” Lenny Rutledge explains why it took so long to release this live set. “One day in 2015 I got a package delivered, a heavy box that I wasn’t expecting. I opened the box and it was the 2 inch master reels from the Reseda show in 1990. I had actually forgotten all about the recordings. We always hoped we could do a re-release of Mirror Black and remix “Black Reflections” and now after 5 years of hinting around I believe we have finally delivered!”

Apart from its sonic treasures, this new edition also offers tons of rare and previously unpublished photos as well as liner notes from Lenny Rutledge and bassist Jim Sheppard, who share memories, good and bad, tour stories and give insight into the creation of this opus resulting in a companion release to 2017’s “Inception”.

“I think we are very fortunate that Mirror Black had a great cult following”, Lenny states. “It seemed to really speak to fans. There were challenges along the way but the good times and experiences we all shared made it all worth it.”