Intro – Blackwater Park:
We’ve all heard our fair share of concept albums over the years, and we all have our opinions as to their level of validity. The wonderful world of Heavy Metal has more than its fair share of said albums, some of which have fallen flat on their face (Alice Cooper Goes To Hell, Killroy Was Here, Music From The Elder, Transgression), while others have absolutely excelled to capture our imaginations (Dark Side Of The Moon, Operation Mindcrime, Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son, Abigail, Tales From The Thousand Lakes, Cruelty And The Beast, The Inner Circle, Leviathan), becoming iconic albums of their respective genres. Mind’s Eye, comprised of drummer Daniel Flores, vocalist Andreas Novak, and guitarist/bassist Johan Niemann, have decided to throw their hat into the concept album ring with A Gentleman’s Hurricane, a story about a man who struggles with the inner demons of being one of history’s most prolific assassins. The results? Well, I am happy to say, they are nothing short of spectacular.

Musicianship - Cenotaph:
For a band to cut a fine figure in today’s world of Progressive Metal, it is not only essential to be inventive arrangers or songwriters but it is also an inviolable law to have top-ranking skills with their instruments. Luckily, the guys in Mind’s Eye sound as if they were born for this role. The fact that all of them, with Daniel taking the lead (the man has had a hand in over 60 albums ), are in great demand in the present scene should speak for itself. Just have a look at their track record: Afterglow, Therion, Demonoid, Tears of Anger, Fatal Force, Xsavior, Secret Sphere, Hubi Meisel, The Codex, 7 Days. It is obvious that we are dealing with a group of seasoned grandmasters and not a bunch of zealous rookies cutting blocks with a razor. Despite this, the music of the band is far from sounding technically overcomplicated. Instead, the guys place more emphasis on the well-turned carefully rehearsed interplay among the instruments and affluent vocal work, while not entirely avoiding some elegant complexity throughout.

Songwriting – Blackwater Park:
The songwriting prowess on A Gentleman’s Hurricane is really what sets it apart from all other Progressive Metal albums this year. While many other bands in the Prog genre are content to demonstrate their chops with guitar noodling and wankery ad nauseam, many typically fail to actually construct coherent and memorable songs. In contrast, Mind’s Eye have manage to craft some utterly infectious Prog anthems that are formidable enough in their vigor to make the Symphony Xs, Dream Theaters, and Queensryches of this world green with envy. Hell’s Invitation sticks with you like paranoia to a schizophrenic stalking victim, Assassination is so catchy you’ll think the gunman’s bullet pierced your brain, and Seven Days plants its seeds deep in your subconscious on first listen, only to grow into a mighty oak after repeated spins. The showstopper on the album, however, is Feed My Revolver, which has one of the best vocal hooks in living memory. The song is a Prog Metal triumph, giving Andreas Novak plenty of room to breathe, and allowing the vocalist to shine brighter than the Polaris. This is the type of song that has the potential to catapult a band into the upper echelons of the music business, if only radio disk jockeys from Tulsa to Timbuktu would pull their heads out of 50 Cent, Fergie, and Justin Timberlake’s collective asses and play something with a little substance. What makes the accomplishment of A Gentleman’s Hurricane all the more surprising is that drummer Daniel Flores wrote just about everything on the album on his own. With Phil Collins as his self-avowed principle role model, is Daniel Flores on route to be the next great Disney songsmith? Thankfully not, the man simply has too much class and conviction to whore himself to children’s cartoons.

Comparisons - Cenotaph:
With regards to their major musical influences, Mind’s Eye have a sound all their own in the Prog Metal realm. Far removed from the Dream Theater clones that pollute the scene, Prog legends such as Genesis, Yes or even the 80’s-era Jethro Tull are all much more appropriate points of reference here. Yet, if you look at their creations with an open-mind, you will notice a far greater share of their own identity than there are borrowings from various others. Although all of their previous offerings are all quite accomplished pieces of music, last year’s Walking on H2O came as a marked improvement. Yet, as good as this album is, it remains overshadowed by their current masterpiece. For this reason, I would recommend starting with A Gentleman’s Hurricane which is destined to become a landmark release as the band ventures into an entirely new dimension of Progressive music. The new album marks a change in Mind’s Eye’s overall sound, offering a far more Metal experience in comparison to their former work, and achieving a new level of unforgettable songwriting.

Production – Blackwater Park:
Although Metallica tried their best to make us believe that recording in Oscar the Grouch’s trash can was a good idea, in this day and age albums with poor production are simply unacceptable. As a result, albums as abysmal as St. Anger are thankfully few and far between. Pro Tools has changed everything these days, so much so that even goregrind garage bands like Hot Buttered Anal or Diaper Fetish can produce a finished product that sounds like they had Donald Trump and Bill Gates bankrolling the project. Of course with the multitalented Daniel Flores manning the control board, and his lengthy and impressive CV of studio work to prove his worth, you wouldn’t expect anything less than a top-notch production job, and that is exactly what is served up. The drum work is distinct, the guitars driving and clear, and the vocals soar from your speakers like Andreas Novak invited himself over and was crooning to you personally from the comfort your own living room.

Concept - Cenotaph:
The concept behind the album mirrors a fictional story of a 53 year-old top assassin working for The Illuminati, a notorious conspiratorial organization that acts as a shadowy hand behind the throne, allegedly controlling world affairs by pulling the puppet strings of contemporary governments and corporations. Intriguing and thought-provoking lyrics narrate the story by involving the listener in a series of confessions the assassin makes to his newfound friend, a retired head priest. Consequently, be prepared to witness the deep and dark secrets of twelve murders that supposedly took place in seven days with the last of them being committed just after these sessions. The packaging of the album is fantastic, and perhaps marks the world’s first cinematic Metal triple pack consisting of a CD, a DVD chronicling the making of the album, and a comic book to further convey the storyline. The finished product allows fans to bury themselves in the concept behind A Gentleman’s Hurricane, and gain a better idea of how the album came to life in the studio.

Summary – Blackwater Park:
A Gentleman’s Hurricane is easily one of the best albums I’ve heard all year, and even if you have only a passing interest in Progressive Metal, this album really is worthy of your time. With a sinister concept, killer riffs, and compelling melodies, the album has enough grit and gleam to please just about any Metal fan. Taking on the role of drummer, principle songwriter, and producer, is no small accomplishment, and A Gentleman’s Hurricane has unquestionably proven Daniel Flores as a force to be reckoned with in the world of Progressive Metal. Mind’s Eye have not only upped the ante on their latest platter, they have redefined the paradigm that has seen the supposedly forward-thinking genre of Progressive Metal paradoxically stagnate as of late.

This entry was posted by CENOTAPH on Saturday, 24th November, 2007 at 23:15 and is filed under Reviews, Mind's Eye. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response below. You may view a   printable version of this page. You may download this page in   PDF format.