Description

If youre a fan of bands that are musically ambitious, as opposed to the purely financially ambitious groups you see advertising their new albums on television then you should check out this Norweigan acts second album. ‘Machines Of Mental Design’ is a Sci-fi epic Power Metal extravaganza with touches of Progressive Metal whereas return visits garner more and more appreciation for what this band has accomplished. My only negative, if it can be called that, is that there are many songs with a similar feel to them; but seeing as this is a concept album that takes place in a futuristic society tying the songs together sonically is reasonable. So my complaint is a minor complaint. As good as the music is, the production sound is outstanding! For instance, there is a section between songs where, as the heroine of the story walks into an elevator, on the speakers of the TriOpticon establishment the previous song plays as a happy jingle until a bell rings, the doors open, and the next song begins muffled by the doors until they open and the music blasts forth. I remember that I smiled when I heard that little slice of creativity for the first time. There is a lot of excellent guitar work throughout and an accomplished lead vocalist that fits the prototypical mold of a good Power Metal singer. This album should be taken as a whole, as it should be experienced, for the concept is interesting and the flow of the story is thoughtfully crafted. This is energetic, intelligent songcraft with superb production. Track listing: 1. Logging on 2. Faceless society 3. The rise of triopticon 4. More than man 5. Triopticon 6. Machines of mental design 7. Puppets of the mainframe 8. War within 9. Escaping time 10. A secret revealed 11. Point of no return 12. Intervention from beyond 13. The journey