Virtual Mind Italy

"Listening to this release is a very bittersweet experience, I think, because there are some incredibly impressive and innovative things on this album, but at the same time it suffers from some basic problems that disturb the listening experience.

Here is the sweet stuff. The degree of musicianship is incredibly high. The central figure is guitarist Francesco Fareri, so it is primarily his talent that the listener is exposed to. His leads are technically impressive as he shreds like there is no tomorrow, and, in terms of rhythm guitar playing, he takes the listener on a journey through all sorts of groovy and solid riffage. And this is the innovative part: there are no keyboards, so all expressions are taken care of by the guitar, which means that Virtual Mind's brand of progressive metal is much heavier and has much more rock 'n' roll punch to it than much other standard progressive metal does. Also, the song compositions themselves are built completely on the guitar riffage, and so every tune is a complex labyrinth consisting of a myriad of heavy and groovy riffs, and, true to it's progressive roots, there are lots of little twists and turns going on.

Here is the bitter stuff. The production is awful. The guitar is far too dominant in the mix, and it's distortion is too fuzzy, ruining the power of the grooves. The bass is too far in the background, and the drums sound too flat. The vocalist, while a good singer, comes across as having a volatile voice because of the imbalance in the mix. The production has too much of a DIY character for technically refined progressive metal, and it nearly ruins the listening experience completely. It is really a shame, because the music itself is awesome and incredibly impressive, I think.

If you like groovy and heavy progressive metal with 7- and 8-stringed guitar attacks, then - despite the production problems - you should check out this release.

(review originally posted at metalmusicarchives.com)"