• New Music Reviews
• |
• Archives
• |
• News
• |
• Submissions
• |
• About
• |
• 
• |
• 

April 2024

• Vanden Plas: The Empyrean Equation Of The Long Lost Things
• Praying Mantis: Defiance
• King Zebra: Between The Shadows
• About Us: Take A Piece
• Blue Oyster Cult: Ghost Stories

March 2024

• Cruzh: The Jungle Revolution
• Whom Gods Destroy: Insanium
• The Prog Collective: Dark Encounters
• Lords Of Black: Mechanics Of Predacity
• Lipz: Changing The Melody
• The End Machine: The Quantum Phase
• Stargate: Escaping The Illusion
• Turbulence: Binary Dream
• Sonata Arctica: Clear Cold Beyond
• D'Luna: Monster
• Big Big Train: The Likes Of Us
• Benjamin Croft: We Are Here To Help

February 2024

• Traveler: Prequel To Madness
• Lionheart: The Grace Of A Dragonfly
• Honeymoon Suite: Alive
• Durbin: Screaming Steel
• Smoking Snakes: Danger Zone
• Revolution Saints: Against The Winds
• Striker: Ultrapower
• Show N Tell: The Ritual Has Begun
• Robert Hart: Circus Life

January 2024

• Corvus: Immortals
• Caligula's Horse: Charcoal Grace
• Grand: Second To None
• Neal Morse: The Restoration - Joseph - Part Two
• The Rods: Rattle The Cage
• Gotus: Gotus
• Metalite: Expedition One
• Cobrakill: Serpent's Kiss
• Jack Russell & Tracii Guns: Medusa
• Jim Peterik & World Stage: Roots & Shoots Vol. 1
• The Grandmaster: Black Sun

[ More Music Reviews ]

Mindflow: With Bare Hands

Modern Melodic Hard Rock

3.5/5.0

Nightmare Records
Website Facebook Twitter MySpace
by Craig Hartranft,  03.14.2011

Recently signed to Nightmare Records for a North American push and distribution is Mindflow's fourth album With Bare Hands. Mindflow hails from Brazil, but don't expect the thrash/death/groove metal of Sepultura or the progressive/power of Angra. Rather, Mindflow takes on more modern hard rock tendencies, sometimes nearing metal or invoking hardcore.

Breakout Me Out, the first single, and Reset the Future are equivalent to modern melodic hard rock you can hear across America. Alternatively, Corrupted shows a metal edge, and Under Alias adds the hardcore edge. The latter is, again, indicative of contemporary trends in the industry, which also means that Mindflow should find a receptive audience in America. If, of course, they can rise above the huge, nearly homogeneous, crowd of their peers.

One thing that might make a difference against their competition is the subtle progressive nuances carefully embedded in many songs, like Shuffle Up and Deal and Lethal. Another positive note is how Mindflow can offer some attractive accessibility with songs that deliver strong melody and big hooks like The Ride and the magnificent Breakthrough.

Yet even with their impressive talent and song composition, Mindflow still sounds like a band in search of itself and its sound. There's a lot going on here: it's varied and often intriguing, even if it's not necessarily congruent. Still, MIndflow's With Bare Hands is not the same modern hard rock fodder being pushed upon us in this day. It's definitely worth checking out if you dig contemporary scene.

Note: All Amazon advertising in this review first benefits the artist, then Craig Hartranft also receives a residual. Click, and thanks for your support.

Even with their impressive talent and song composition, Mindflow still sounds like a band in search of itself and its sound. But, With Bare Hands is not the same modern hard rock fodder being pushed upon us in this day.

Alphabetical Index

Three years have passed since Sweden's Cruzh dropped their second long-player, Tropical Thunder, also introducing their new singer, Alex Waghorn. Now the band returns with The Jungle Revolution ... [ Read More ]