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Reviews

Mind's Eye — Waiting for the Tide
(Round Records RR001, 2000, CD)

by Paul Hightower, Published 2000-10-01

Waiting for the Tide Cover art

Mind's Eye may not have the most original name, but this quartet (vocals, guitar, bass, and a drummer who also plays keys) more than makes up for it with a sound that is. The requisite elements of all prog-metal bands can be heard on these ten tracks, whether it be the chunky chording and speedy riffing of Frederik Grünberger's guitar, the thundering bass drum attack of Daniel Flores, the virtuosic and melodic bass work of Johan Niemann, or the wailing croon of Andreas Novak. But the entire band contributes another dimension that easily lifts their sound well above the standard dimension of metal mediocrity. Special attention must be called to Grünberger's guitar work. He regularly alternates his metal shred tone with elegant chiming and acoustic timbres that add an entirely original quality to the material, especially benefiting the quieter moments in the songs. This is particularly important since the key feature of Mind's Eye's music is the ability to turn between hard and soft extremes on a dime. Wicked shifts in meter and dynamics make some of the music come off a bit herky-jerky, though strong melodies and compositional focus keep them from wandering off into space. Some listeners may find all of the movement within the pieces tiresome to follow, as I initially did, but repeated listening really pay off and reveal the greater expansiveness within all of the clutter. Waiting for the Tide is a superb effort and should put Mind's Eye squarely among the leaders in the field of melodic prog metal.

Filed under: New releases, Issue 20, 2000 releases

Related artist(s): Mind's Eye

 

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