| CD REVIEW Mind Odyssey |
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Band: Mind Odyssey I immediatelly had the impression of knowing this band already intimately from having done a review of one of their albums, but I soon found out I was quite mistaken…and younger music fans may not know the band at all (except perhaps from the CD collection of an older brother – or sister), as their previous release dates back some 9 years ago! The Mind Odyssey story starts in the early ‘90s Berlin, when Mario Le Mole (vocals & bass), Dan Uhden (guitar) and Rocco Stellmacher (guitar) were still playing in Merlin, while Volker Schultz (drums) had ben active with Splinter. Le Mole and Schultz formed Gracious Violence when their band folded, and recorded a demo in 1992 (produced by Frank Bornemann from Eloy). In 1993 this duo got back together with Uhden and Stellmacher, and got themselves a deal with Noise Records for the release of debut album Keep It All Turning (again produced by Bornemann) in the Spring of that same year. After the album came out, Le Mole decided to concentrate on just singing, the band recruiting Gregor Avianus to ensure bass duties. Before the recordings of their sophomore album (1995’s Schizophrenia, recorded/ produced by Herman Frank, issued through the Rising Sun label), the two guitarists left. After some entanglements Victor Smolski (a young Minsk born Russian multi-instrumentalist who’d settled in Germany as a studio musician in 1993 after having toured that country a couple of times with his old band Inspector – during which Bornemann became acquainted and interested in the band, offering the band a contract) was eventually recruited, performing both on guitar and keyboards. In early 1996 the band had another line-up change, welcoming bassist Jan Keller and keyboardist Andreas Disksmeier in their midst. Thanks to an impressive videoclip which was aired extensively on Viva and MTV and multiple shows around the country, the album became quite successful, and the band was allowed to go on a European tour with Vicious Rumors. Still, success was still to grow with the upcoming albums, for which Smolski wrote the bulk of material! To promote the 1998 album Nailed To The Shade (their first for the B-Mind label, this one also distributed by G.U.N.) the band toured with Savatage. The April 1999 recorded epitaph of the band (or at least of the band in that era) saw Smolski integrating orchestra elements in the band’s Porgressive Power Metal music. Signs was released through Point Music in September of 1999. By then the band had already ceased to exist, Smolski joining Rage in June! Mind Odyssey (as understood in the gathering of Le Mole, Uhden, and Smolski) became active again in Spring 2007 (MySpace page erected in late May), albeit only in the rehearsal room. I suppose demos must’ve been made during the rest of that year, and sent out to record companies, because in January 2008 the band signed to Napalm. People knowing Smolski’s work in Rage will not be surprised to find similarities with Time To Change’s, the music written with guitar work on the forefront (although you wíll find a couple of nice keyboard solos in between the otherwize more atmospheric key runs). With Le Mole fronting thís band (getting plenty of backings in different tonalities of voice) things obviously come over differently, as he’s quite unsimilar to Peavey! I really cannot tell you why exactly, but I feel the music has something “typically” Teutonic…which can be good if you’re into that specific scene, but can be annoying when you’re not! Personally, I don’t care either way, as I tend to concentrate on songwritership and delivery…and as far as those elements are concerned, everything is hunky-dory. Although I won’t go as far as to put the album in my year-lists, there’s a couple of songs (notably those with a little more keyboards (and especially “Storm Warning” andtheensuingalbum title track) which I found really worth listening to, the rest being somewhat un-surprising, thus average! Album closer “Under the Moonlight” starts off as a beautiful ballad though! To get a taste of this nicely melodic ProgMetal act, surf to myspace.com/mindodyssey07, where the album’s opening track “Riding And Ruling” is posted alongside 2 off the Nailed To The Shade album, and one each off Keep It All Turning and Signs. There’s a reason for that, as Napalm is simultaneously re-issuing all of the band’s old albums! Not surprisingly, the band will start live promotion of the album with a tour coinciding that of Rage’s 25 Years Anniversary Tour (following a couple of initial shows in Germany and Switzerland in March, it’s off to Austria mid April…and then to Russia for a threesome of performances! No idea what comes after. Interested parties best keep themselves informed by regularly returning to the band’s own (mindodyssey.de) or MySpace webspaces! 84/100 Tony. |